


the unmarked

by Vitexy



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Courting Rituals, Discrimination, Knotting, M/M, Mating, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Starcrossed Lovers, Strangers to Lovers, There are the Marked and then the Unmarked, Unrequited Love, and i kinda hate this story, ruts, things are complicated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:07:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 70,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26383129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vitexy/pseuds/Vitexy
Summary: the people of san's village all wear Marks in order to properly identify themselves and their rank. there are those that are of a high rank and those that are of a lower rank.and then there are those who are Unmarked.
Relationships: Choi San/Jeong Yunho
Comments: 100
Kudos: 330





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> that summary might have sounded more ominous than it needed to. 
> 
> this is turning out to be shockingly longer than I anticipated it to be so i'm splitting it up because i also am not sure if i love this enough lol 
> 
> besides this i'm also working on like a body switching story that (i hope) isn't as long as this one is turning out to be

For as long as Yunho remembers, his mother had done her best to shield him from the truth. For the first eight years of his life, Yunho never questioned his existence. He never thought of himself as different. He just figured his mother lived further away from the rest of the village because she wanted to. He’s eight when he realizes that this isn’t the case. 

His mother had taken him out for a little excursion as she gathered some summer berries because they’re Yunho’s favorite when he wanders a little too close to the village edge. He spies a small group of kids playing, watched over by a woman who tries desperately to direct the rambunctious kids to collect berries. She tries turning it into a game, promising a reward for whoever retrieves the most berries. 

The kids quickly scattered at that, squealing and laughing as they dispersed among the bushes to search for berries. Without even realizing it, Yunho gravitated towards the kids. He wasn’t used to seeing them. Sometimes he could hear them screaming and playing when he was out with his mother, but he’d never been allowed to play with them. He’d never had someone to play with period, only his mother when she mustered up the time and energy to play with him. More often than not, he had to get creative with the toys she made for him and other objects that he found lying around the house. 

So seeing these kids now, Yunho couldn’t help but wander closer. He comes up next to a boy who glances over to him, and Yunho stops short and stares. Red paint decorates his face. It’s just a simple design across his forehead and one line down the left side of his cheek just underneath his eye, but Yunho can’t help but stare. He’s never seen someone like that before. 

The boy eyes him back, equally as confused. Yunho can’t tell if it’s because he doesn’t know him or because of his distinct lack of red paint. The boy seems to get over it quickly enough, returning to the bush in front of him to forage for berries. Yunho follows suit, and a comfortable silence follows over them, at least until Yunho starts to notice the other’s behavior of avoiding some of the white colored berries. 

“Those are okay,” he informs the other, pointing to one of the berries with a little patch of white near the top. “They’re just sunburnt.” He picks one to prove his point, popping it into his mouth and humming in delight at the taste. The boy stares at him in confusion, though, evidently disturbed by Yunho’s behavior. 

“They don’t look pretty,” he finally says, picking only the brightest of the berries and avoiding the discolored one. “Our caretaker would just throw them out.” 

“Why?” Yunho asks. “You can still eat them.” 

The boy spares him one last look before he hurries away with his head down, posting himself up at another bush. “Ah, wait—” Yunho bites down at his lip when the other boy runs away from him, but he doesn’t follow, focusing on collecting his own berries. 

Eventually the woman from before calls all the kids back. Yunho looks up when she calls for them before returning his attention back to his bush, picking the last group of berries he’d been working on. She hears the woman thank each of the kids as they dump their berries into the basket she’s holding, but he’s determined to have the most berries. 

“Where’s San?” she hears the woman ask. 

Yunho smiles down at the berries he managed to collect before yelping when someone knocks into his side. He closes his palms gently around his harvest to protect them before turning to look at the other kid he bumped into him. The boy smiles, and Yunho once again can’t help but stare at the pattern painted into his skin. Unlike the first boy, though, his paint is white, three short lines painted on either side of his face beneath his eyes like the rays of the sun. 

The boy with white paint looks down at Yunho’s hands, the red of the berries. His eyes brighten as he reaches for Yunho’s hand. “Hey, let me have those,” he says, prying Yunho’s hands open. 

“Wait, those are mine,” Yunho protests, scared to crush the berries. 

The other boy doesn’t seem to care much, though, managing to open Yunho’s hands up before he takes Yunho’s harvest into his own hands. “Thanks!” the boy says before he darts off towards the woman. 

“Hey! Those were mine!” Yunho cries out, chasing after the boy. 

The woman with the basket turns when she hears them approaching, a smile on her face as she lowers the basket for him to place Yunho’s berries inside. Then she lifts her gaze to look at Yunho, and her previously kind expression hardens at the sight of him. Yunho stops short, gulping nervously at her expression. She doesn’t say anything to him though, just glares like she wants him to leave. 

Finally, Yunho musters up the courage to say something. “Those were mine,” he says, pointing at the boy with white paint. 

“No, I collected them!” The boy declares. 

Yunho opens his mouth to protest, but his mother’s voice suddenly cuts through the air, calling for him. “Yunho!” He twists around towards the voice, catching his mother’s eyes who freezes when she sees him. “Yunho!” she says his name much more harshly this time, rushing over to him, and pulling him close. “By the Moon,” she curses under her breath, tucking her son into her side before she looks at the woman. 

Yunho stares at her as he hugs his mother’s leg. Her face is also painted. Hers is a light blue color, the pattern meaning nothing to Yunho, although he’s not sure if any of them mean anything. His mother bows to the woman, an apology falling from her lips. Yunho looks up at his mother, unsure of why she was apologizing. Should he also be apologizing? For what? That boy had stolen his berries. 

The woman says nothing to his mother, however, just turning around to herd the children away from them. Yunho hears her mutter under her breath, “Keep control of your child,” and he bristles at her words. 

“Keep control of yours,” he argues heatedly. His mother makes a noise of alarm, quickly swooping Yunho into her arms to stop him from lunging forward. “He stole my berries!” He points at the boy with white paint as the woman twists around to glare at him. 

“Yunho,” his mother snaps at him, quickly ferrying him away from the other kids. 

“He stole them, though!” he cries, wiggling around in his mother’s grip. 

Eventually she lets him down, lifting a hand up as if to strike him, and Yunho flinches away from her. With a sigh she lowers her hands to place on Yunho’s shoulders instead. “Let it go,” she tells him. 

“Why?” Yunho sniffles. “I worked hard to collect those.” 

“I know.” She strokes his hair affectionately. “But you don’t have a choice.” 

  
  
  
  


He’s eight when his mother explains that they’re Unmarked. They weren’t allowed to wear the same marks as the people from the village—the odd painted patterns Yunho had seen on the other children—and they weren’t allowed the mingle with them either. Yunho didn’t understand. He never did, even as he grew older. When he’d presented as an alpha in the spring of his teenage years, his mother had crushed up a few red berries and smeared them over Yunho’s face. She’d explained that it was the color and type of pattern he would have worn if they were a part of the village. 

Yunho had angrily wiped it off in a fit of rage. He hated how it looked anyways. Ever since he was eight and saw those kids with the paint all over their face. What did any of those marks even mean? Why wasn’t he allowed to even speak to the Marked villagers? If they were Unmarked, forced to live on the outskirts of the village, alone and in disgrace, what was the point of staying? _Why_ were they even Unmarked to begin with? 

His mother would only hug him and apologize whenever he would ask. She passed in the winter of his twentieth year, without ever telling him why he had to endure the existence of an Unmarked. Yunho would be lying if he said it didn’t leave him bitter and resentful. 

With his mother gone, Yunho had continuously toyed with the idea of leaving the village behind. Leave his identity as an Unmarked behind, but fear always froze him before he could go through with the plan. What even laid beyond the village? What if there were still Marked and Unmarked people beyond the border of what he’s always known? His doubt about his own survival always held him back, and he quietly endured his shunned existence. 

He’s in the middle of inspecting a few holes in the little cabin he’s called home his whole life when he hears the sound of heavy footsteps outside of his home. Scrambling up, Yunho rushes out of his cabin, throwing open the fragile door with a bang. The thing is a little dilapidated, but it’s the only thing Yunho’s ever known as home. 

Without a word, Yunho jogs over to a large earthen jar and wooden rack in his front yard. He glances at the alpha standing awkwardly near the little front gate Yunho had built for himself one spring. “Over here,” he beckons the alpha over. 

Jongho hesitates, heaving in a breath before he reluctantly pushes his cart past the threshold of Yunho’s gate to walk up to the other alpha’s side. Yunho pulls sheets of tanned leather off his rack, handing them to Jongho who gathers them up and dumps them on his cart. Then he digs through his earthen jar, pulling out neatly carved pieces of meat, carefully wrapped to preserve them. 

“Do you have what I wanted?” Yunho asks, withholding the wrapped pieces of meat from the younger alpha. 

Jongho sighs but starts digging through his cart. “Salt,” he announces, placing a jar down next to Yunho’s feet. “The dried tea you like, and here.” He grabs a small stack of ceramics that Yunho had requested, holding it out to the Unmarked alpha who finally hands his own goods over to Jongho in exchange. “You’re really the most difficult customer I have,” Jongho grumbles, biting his tongue when Yunho seems to hesitate in handing over the rest of the labor of his hunts. 

The Unmarked alpha narrows his eyes at him, holding onto a piece of wrapped venison—Jongho’s favorite. He eyes Jongho’s red markings, still the same as Yunho remembers from when he was eight, and Jongho thought him weird when he told the younger he could eat sunburnt berries. The Marked alpha looks momentarily frightened that Yunho won’t finish the trade, but the taller alpha hands the meat over to him. 

“You’re the one stupid enough to trade with me,” he snorts. 

“It’s _business_ ,” Jongho argues, taking the rest of the parcels of game Yunho offers him. “You’re probably the best hunter I know. Or at least the only one who’s willing to share anything _good_ with me.” 

“You’re an alpha,” Yunho reminds him. 

“I’m low ranking,” Jongho mutters. “And I had to spend five years as an Unmarked, remember? I’m not even allowed to go on hunts.” 

Yunho remembers. It had been the first time he had ever had something close to a friend. Close because by that time Yunho was already an adult and used to being self-sufficient. He’d hardly been interested in Jongho who struggled to live as an Unmarked even if it was only temporary. He could hunt decently enough, and foraging wasn’t particularly hard, but he was someone used to a pack. Solitary life easily got to him. 

Eventually the younger alpha had shown up in front of Yunho’s little cabin to ask for help. It had been a reluctant camaraderie, and Yunho would vehemently deny missing the younger boy when he was finally allowed back into the village after his punishment had been served. 

“You were a good hunter,” Yunho tells him. Jongho possessed such a strong physique, perfect for a hunter. He seemed wasted on trading, but Yunho never really understood how their tribal politics worked. He wasn’t allowed to participate after all. 

“I don’t have time. I’m not _allowed_ to.” 

“You’re not allowed to talk to me either,” Yunho shoots back. “And yet here you are.” 

“Some rules are easier to break,” Jongho dismisses as his eyes wander the little patch of land Yunho calls home. It’s not pretty or all that well maintained, but it stirs a feeling of nostalgia within the younger alpha that leaves him confused. He spies some newly made furs on Yunho's porch that immediately catch his eye. “Hey, would you be willing to trade those?” he asks, pointing towards the furs. 

Jongho knew how to make furs. It was part of growing up in the village, but given his rank and status, he never quite cultivated the skill to the level Yunho managed to get it to. Yunho always made really nice furs from the prey he hunted. He’d had plenty of time and material to learn how to do it. 

Glancing over to the furs, Yunho frowns at the Marked alpha. “Depends,” he answers, eyeing the young alpha suspiciously. “You aren’t going to use them for something stupid, are you?” Jongho hesitates, and his expression falters briefly. Yunho sighs. “ _Don’t_ ,” he warns the younger man, “give them to Wooyoung.” 

“I wasn’t going to,” Jongho mumbles, an obvious lie. 

Yunho narrows his eyes at him. “He was the reason you were forced to live as an Unmarked for five years, or did you forget that?” 

“It’s not like _he_ specifically did that to me,” Jongho defends. He thinks. He hopes. He never really received any kind of answer towards his courtship of the omega. The village head had found out when Wooyoung had told San who told his parents, and Jongho had been swiftly sentenced for attempting to court an omega above his caste rank. He’s barely even seen the omega since his return, although he’s ashamed to say his feelings have hardly diminished. 

“Do you know that for a fact?” Yunho questions to which Jongho is oddly mute. 

“So, are you willing to trade those or not?” he asks again.

With a sigh, Yunho looks over to the furs he has hanging on his front porch. They were for the coming winter, mostly just in case. He leaves Jongho by his cart to walk over to them though, picking them up from an old chair he had draped them over. He scoops them up in his arms before walking them back over to Jongho. He lays them out on the Marked alpha’s cart for the younger man to examine, stepping back with his hands on his hips to make room for Jongho. 

“I’ll trade them for some lumber,” he says.

Jongho pauses in his examination of the furs to look at Yunho in shock. “Lumber?” he repeats, blinking rapidly when Yunho nods his head. It feels like an unfair trade on Yunho’s part. His furs are worth more than just some cheap lumber, and Jongho tells him as much.

“I’d believe that if anyone but you wanted to trade for them,” Yunho jokes with a rueful little smile on his face. As an Unmarked nobody would trade with him. Even Jongho was technically breaking quite a handful of laws just to trade small wares like this which meant that no matter how pretty or well made his furs were, they were essentially worthless. “Anyways, I need lumber more than I need these, so that’s what I’m willing to trade them for.” 

“it still feels like I’m ripping you off,” Jongho mutters to himself. 

“I’m Unmarked,” Yunho dismisses with a little wave of his hand. “It’s quite literally impossible to rip me off.” 

WIth a frown, Jongho looks back down at the furs laid out before him, running his fingers over them reverently. “I don’t have any lumber on me right now though,” he says. 

Yunho shoos him off when he tries to return the furs to the elder alpha. “You can take them with you. Consider it a pre-payment for the lumber if you want.” The younger alpha hesitantly places the furs back down on his cart at Yunho’s behest, biting back a smile as he stares down at them. “I don’t need that lumber immediately, but some time before winter if you would.” Yunho glances back at his little hole-riddled cabin. He’d like to make those repairs before the first snowfall if possible. 

“I can do that,” Jongho agrees. “The Chase is soon, but I can probably arrange to come back up here after that.” 

Yunho stares at him blankly for a moment as he sifts through his brain for what “The Chase” is before recognition finally registers on his face. “Ah. The night you all run like heathens through the forest and keep me up all night?” Yunho had never been allowed to participate, obviously, but he could hear them every time. He never quite understood the purpose of it though. It just seemed like a night for them to run and be unbearably noisy for no discernable reason. 

“That’s not—is that what it sounds like to you?” Jongho seems mildly scandalized by the notion at least. 

“It’s all I hear.” Yunho shrugs his shoulders and scratches behind his ear. He has a hard time keeping track of all their seemingly banal holidays and celebrations. “What is that one, a game?” 

Jongho sputters at his description. “A game? It’s not a game! It’s—” he falters when he realizes he doesn’t have the words to describe it. 

“It’s what?” Yunho raises his eyebrows at the Marked alpha curiously. 

“It’s…” Jongho swallows as he turns to look down at Yunho’s fur. How can he explain this in a way Yunho understands? He supposes that there’s really only one way. “It’s a chance,” he finally answers. 

“A chance?” Yunho repeats skeptically. 

“Yeah,” Jongho nods his head. “Like, normally I wouldn’t have a chance with Wooyoung because of my caste, but if I catch him during The Chase…”

Yunho frowns when he trails off without finishing his thought. “Then he becomes your mate?” he guesses. 

Jongho makes a face. “Sort of.” 

Yunho crosses his arms over his chest and thinks about it for a moment before ultimately shaking his head. “That’s stupid,” he declares. Jongho chokes on his own spit. “I mean, think about it. They banished you to live as an Unmarked for _five years_ because of a silly crush you had on an omega. Just because he’s got a higher status than you? But what? If you catch him in the forest like an animal it’s suddenly okay?” 

Jongho hesitates, feeling a little foolish himself when he listens to Yunho explain it like that. “I mean—yes?” 

Yunho shakes his head with a little sigh. “If it’s that easy then why haven’t you done it yet? Don’t you do this every year?” 

The younger alpha nods. Yeah, every year just before fall they host The Chase. “It’s not as easy as it sounds though,” Jongho grumbles in protest. The point of The Chase was to prove yourself a worthy mate, not to get one. It wasn’t wholly uncommon some years for no omegas to be caught, and even catching one didn’t guarantee you a mate. It just allowed the right to courtship. Plus there’s the fact that Jongho has been vying for one omega in particular. “Wooyoung doesn’t always participate,” he complains, having faced a few years wasted participating when his prey of choice was nowhere to be found. “And the years that he does, well.” Jongho hasn’t been able to catch him. No one has. 

“You can’t catch him?” Yunho voices it out loud, and Jongho winces when the question buries itself like a dagger in his chest. The Unmarked alpha tuts when Jongho doesn’t deny it. “Wow. Forget what I said about you making a decent hunter. You’re hopeless.” 

Jongho whines at his verdict. “Don’t say that! I’ll really think I have no chance.” 

“I really think you don’t,” Yunho deadpans. “Anyways, just bring me that lumber once you’re finished licking your wounds.” 

Jongho pouts, making a great effort to look pathetic, but Yunho only pats him on the shoulder and then makes to leave. Jongho scrambles to seize him by the arm. “Wait,” he says, eyes bright with an idea. “You’re a good hunter, right? Can’t you teach me how to hunt more effectively?” 

Yunho tries to twist his arm free from Jongho’s grip, but the young alpha displays a rather unexpected strength that Yunho struggles to escape from. “I hunt prey, not omegas or whatever it is you lust after.” 

Jongho releases his hold on the Unmarked to grab a small bowl covered with a cloth from his cart of goods, and he shoves it into Yunho’s hands. The elder blinks and looks down at the bowl inquisitively, only peeling back the cloth when Jongho urges him to. He stares at the little marbled beads in the bowl, entranced by them. Jongho grins, certain that he has the alpha hooked now. He noted on a few occasions that Yunho would eye the marbles curiously, never asking for them in trade for anything. Perhaps because he deemed them unnecessary, and he isn’t exactly wrong about that. Jongho only collected them because they often fetched him a pretty price from jewelers in the village. 

“I’ll give those to you in exchange for your services,” Jongho offers, puffing his chest out proudly. 

Yunho hums thoughtfully as he sifts through the different stones. “Don’t you think this should finish off your payment for the furs instead?” he asks, picking one of the beads up to admire the natural swirl of red in it. 

Jongho glances down at the furs Yunho had given him in advance for the lumber. Then he looks up at Yunho nervously, gulping when the older alpha cocks an eyebrow at him. Shamelessly, he throws himself over the furs. “We already agreed on a trade for these,” he argues. “You should have negotiated for them earlier. I’m suggesting a new trade now.” 

Yunho sighs, but he doesn’t sound all that annoyed with him. “Fine,” he agrees. “Only because I kind of like you though.” 

“Great!” Jongho perks up. “I’ll come by tomorrow, and we can get started.” 

“Tomorrow?” Yunho sputters. “That soon?” 

“The Chase is only in a few days, so yes starting as soon as possible would be best,” Jongho lectures. “I look forward to learning from you, Teacher!” And then he picks up the handles of his chart and pulls it towards the front gate. He turns at the entrance of it to wave at him one last time. Yunho makes a big show of cursing at the Marked alpha as he leaves but as soon as Jongho is gone he drops the act, picking through the beads Jongho left with him with a gidd smile. He’s already thinking of the ways he might use them. 

  
  
  
  


Jongho returns the next day. So early that he’s the first thing Yunho sees when he leaves his house that morning. Yunho startles back at the sight of him, cursing in surprise. “By the fucking moon.” He rubs at his eyes like the Marked alpha might be some kind of illusion. However, Jongho doesn’t disappear no matter how hard Yunho rubs at his eyes. “Why are you here so early?” he asks. 

“Don’t you hunt first thing in the mornings?” Jongho blinks innocently at him. 

Yunho sighs, making his way down his porch to where the younger alpha is waiting. “You’re really taking this seriously,” he notes. 

Jongho grins at him. “Anything to better my chances.” 

“Well, I’ll certainly give you points for your determination and wit.” 

“Really?” 

Yunho nods his head, smiling at the bright look on the Marked alpha’s expression. “It’s a shame those points mean nothing, huh?” Immediately Jongho’s expression sours, and Yunho tries not to laugh at him. “Results are what matter. Don’t forget that.” 

“They don’t necessarily get you anywhere either,” Jongho mumbles in disagreement. 

“That’s because your tribe is stupid.” 

“It’s _your_ tribe too.” 

“Hardly,” Yunho snorts. He beckons Jongho over to where he’s standing, bending down to pick up a well worn rucksack which he passes along to the Marked alpha. Jongho grunts as he takes it but obediently holds it as Yunho straps a quiver of arrows to his back and picks up a longbow. “Follow me.” 

Yunho leads Jongho far outside of the normal bounds of his village to where the Unmarked alpha typically hunts. It’s not necessarily the better hunting ground, but he’s less likely to run into any trouble with any of the villagers, and he’s more or less free to set up traps as he sees fit. 

He guides Jongho through the process of tracking his prey with more patience than he even realized he had. He attributes it to the fact that he’s used to Jongho. He had taught him a bit when he’d spent his sentence in exile, and in many ways, Yunho is just re-teaching the younger alpha how to hunt. He’s not sure how much of it actually overlaps with The Chase, but Jongho absorbs all the information he offers diligently. 

“Your sense of smell isn’t bad,” Yunho compliments when they lose the tracks of a deer Yunho had instructed him to follow, able to pick it back up with Jongho’s sense of smell. 

“A lot of omegas use herbs to dampen their scent during The Chase though,” Jongho points out, watching as Yunho works meticulously to set up a trap. This wouldn’t really help him, but he watches nevertheless. 

“Does it completely erase their scent?” Yunho asks, picking himself up when he’s satisfied with his trap. 

“No, just really weakens it. You can’t rely on your nose to find them.” 

Yunho hums thoughtfully, thinking about Jongho’s words. “So, how does it work exactly?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Like, do you all get to go at the very start? I mean, that would be kind of easy in that case, right?” 

“It would be,” Jongho agrees. “Omegas have an hour head start and are allowed to use almost any kind of tool to stay hidden. It’s one of the reasons omegas like Wooyoung are hard to catch. He can afford to buy and use whatever traps or materials that he wants.” 

Yunho reaches out to take the nearly empty rucksack from Jongho, slinging it over his shoulder. “Have you considered perhaps aiming for a mate that’s a little more realistic? This omega you're smitten with sounds like a hassle.” 

“But I like him,” Jongho protests. 

“But does he like you?” Yunho asks. 

The younger quiets at his question, unsure of how to answer. He doesn’t know, but the obvious answer is probably no. Jongho is beneath his caste. Why would he like him? The alpha had always just figured that might change if he could prove himself in The Chase. 

“Forget about it,” Yunho says. “One way a predator should think is by considering how his prey might act. He uses scent dampener, but that doesn’t mean his scent is entirely gone. What else might he do to avoid detection by scent?” 

Jongho thinks about it for a moment, cupping his chin thoughtfully. “Stay downwind?” he finally suggests after a moment, pleased with himself when he sees the grin on Yunho’s face. 

“So what should you do?” 

“I understand. But Yunho,” Jongho hurries to match the Unmarked alpha’s pace, reaching out to touch him on the arm, “haven’t you ever had the desire for one? A mate?” 

Yunho pauses, turning to stare at Jongho who shrinks back at the blank look on his face. “No,” he finally says after a long, uncomfortable pause. “I’ve never even met an omega before.” 

“Never?” Jongho balks. Yunho is the only Unmarked from their village, but it’s not like others are unheard of, scattered throughout the lands between different tribes. Surely Unmarked omegas existed somewhere. 

“I keep to myself. It’s like I said, you’re the only person I’ve ever really talked to besides my own mother.” 

“Isn’t that lonely though?” 

Yunho shrugs off the question. It’s never really bothered him. “No. I’m used to it,” he says. Jongho swallows thickly at his response, unable to find anything to say in light of the Unmarked alpha’s words. He knows well of the loneliness that comes with being Unmarked, but Yunho is different from anyone else Jongho has ever heard of. He’d been born into it, and his sentence was life long. 

Before he can say something, perhaps apologize for even broaching the topic, someone breezes by them. Yunho pauses while Jongho yelps, stumbling away from the boy who runs past them. At least until Yunho suddenly takes off after him. “Hey!” the Unmarked alpha barks at him, using his long legs to easily catch up to the stranger. Jongho scrambles after him. “Hey! Watch it!” Yunho grabs the other by the shoulder, yanking him back before he could run through one of the traps he’d set up. 

The boy gasps when Yunho pulls him back with enough force that he loses his balance, tumbling to the floor gracelessly. Yunho leers over him, his expression filled with disapproval while Jongho stutters to a halt, slapping his hands over his mouth when he realizes that he recognizes the person on the ground. It’s San. The omega, San. San, only one of two sons of the village heads. Someone so high above Jongho it was mind boggling which meant he severely outranked Yunho as well. 

Yunho who had touched him. Yunho who is actually scolding him right now. 

With a squeak, Jongho grabs the Unmarked alpha by the arm and pulls him back a few steps, interrupting the alpha’s tirade. “Stop,” he advises his friend, glancing nervously at San who seems absolutely bewildered by Yunho’s behavior. “Do you have any idea who he is?” 

“Some stupid omega from you village?” Yunho replies haughtily. “He nearly ruined one of my traps!” He places the sleeve of his shirt over his nose and eyes the omega on the ground with disdain. “And he reeks.” 

San laughs hollowly at Yunho’s complaint, and Jongho squeezes his eyes shut. By the Moon, Yunho is just digging his grave deeper and deeper at this point. “He’s the son of the village’s leader,” Jongho hisses at him, holding a finger to his lips in a silent plea for Yunho to shut the hell up. 

He thinks it works for a moment because realization dawns on Yunho’s face, but if anything he becomes even more severe. “In that case he should be grateful I saved him a broken ankle,” he speaks more towards Jongho than San though, almost acting as if the omega is a non-entity. He’s not even really supposed to talk to San anyways, but he somehow makes it seem disrespectful, and the omega bristles at his behavior. 

“I know what I’m doing,” he declares, picking himself up. He squares his shoulders when the Unmarked alpha turns to look at him, flinching back when Yunho wordlessly brushes by him. He watches as the alpha takes a few steps forward along the path San had been taking, kicking out at something. The omega startles back when a trap suddenly snaps shut, and he stares at it with a mild sense of horror. “Well what the hell is that doing here? This is well outside our village’s hunting area.” 

“Do I look like I am welcome to hunt in the same area?” Yunho snorts, bending down to set up the trap again. “This is where _I_ hunt. You shouldn’t even be running around out here anyways.” 

“He’s right,” Jongho agrees, looking around the area cautiously. “Where are your attendants?” 

San sputters at the question, eyeing both alphas warily. “Let’s just agree that we never met,” he suggests instead. 

“Huh? But you—” San takes off before Jongho can finish speaking, and the Marked alpha cries out in alarm but is honestly a little too scared to actually follow the omega. Yunho may have been markedly beneath San in terms of rank, but Jongho wasn’t in much of a better spot. He’s a little scared to be caught with him to be honest. 

Yunho doesn’t try to stop him either, shaking his head when the omega takes off. 

“I’ve always heard he was a bit of a troublemaker, but I didn’t know if it was actually true,” Jongho murmurs as he comes up to Yunho’s side. 

“I’m assuming he shouldn’t be all the way out here?” Yunho guesses. 

“It’s frowned upon in general but probably even more so for him,” Jongho confirms. “He’s not even supposed to leave the boundaries of the village. Especially not without his attendants.” 

Releasing a heavy breath, the Unmarked alpha straightens up and shakes off the thought of the omega. He’s not the alpha’s concern, and if he’s stupid enough to play around this area without proceeding with caution it’s his own fault. Besides, he still has a duty to finish. He promised to help train Jongho. 

  
  
  
  


By mid day, Jongho is exhausted. He’s definitely not much of a hunter, and it must show. Yunho hands the young alpha a waterskin which he grateful accepts, gulping down all the water in no time before he hands it back, gasping in a few breaths as he watches Yunho refill the waterskin with the clear river water. The Unmarked alpha had taken him here to allow the Jongho a chance to catch his breath and rehydrate. 

Jongho is grateful for it. The air next to the river is nice and cool, refreshing against his heated skin, and he hadn’t realized just how thirsty he was until Yunho handed him the waterskin again. He downs that one just as quickly. 

“Tell me the truth,” he says after he finally catches his breath. Yunho hums to indicate that he’s listening as he refills the waterskin for the third time. “Do I have a chance?” 

Yunho licks his lips, pulling the container out of the river when it’s full. The current of the river is quite strong, some water splashing up onto Yunho’s arm and causing the Unmarked alpha to shiver. “I don’t know,” he answers truthfully as he pulls back from the river. Jongho frowns, stretching his limbs out over the rocks lining this side of the river. “I’ve never tried to use my skills to hunt down an omega,” Yunho adds to try and comfort the Marked alpha. “I won’t say you have a guaranteed shot, but you could do it.” 

“You think so?” Jongho asks, perking up. 

“You have the basics down. You’re just rusty when it comes to putting it into practice,” Yunho affirms. He’s still not sure Jongho has much of a chance to be honest. Not because the younger necessarily lacks the skill, but because of this omega’s track record so far. Jongho said he’d never been caught yet, so what chance did a novice hunter have against that? Then again, “I would suspect omegas are easier to hunt than any animal,” he remarks. 

Jongho frowns at his remark. “You shouldn’t think so lightly of them. They might not be as strong as alphas, but they’re still smart.” 

Yunho stares at something over Jongho’s shoulders, eyes narrowing. “Is that really true?” he asks, straightening up. 

“Of course,” Jongho says confidently, tilting his head at the expression on Yunho’s face. “What are you looking at anyways?” He turns to follow Yunho’s gaze, his heart leaping into his throat when he easily spies what caught Yunho’s attention. 

Upstream from them, Jongho catches sight of San. Again. He figured the omega would have gone back by now or at least been caught, but here he is, playing by himself at the river’s edge. “If he’s not careful the current will sweep him away,” Yunho mutters. 

“I’ll get him,” Jongho volunteers as he pushes himself off the rock he’d been sitting on. Yunho waves him off, taking a sip of water. The Marked alpha makes his way over to the omega, calling out for him as he goes. Unfortunately, when he yells at the omega’s name San startles, whipping around to face Jongho. The alpha tries to tell him to be careful, but the omega loses his footing when he turns to face him, and Jongho watches in horror as San falls back into the river. 

Yunho doesn’t even hear the splash when San falls into the water. It’s barely noticeable above the sound of the rushing river to begin with. He only realizes something is off when Jongho screams the omega’s name in a clear panic. 

He lowers his waterskin to glance at the Marked alpha, raising his eyebrows when he notices the omega is missing. His eyes immediately fall to the river, catching sight of the omega’s light hair when his head bobs up to the surface before he goes back under again. “Stupid omega,” he growls to himself as he tosses his waterskin to the ground. 

He rushes to the river’s edge. The omega is fast approaching him, and Yunho wills him to come closer to the edge. He sees the omega’s head occasionally break through the surface of the water, gasping in a breath each time, and Yunho can tell the omega is just a little too far out from him to reach in and grab. 

“Yunho!” Jongho yells for him. “Yunho, you have to save him!” 

Yunho bites down on his bottom lip at Jongho’s words. Does he have to? The omega means nothing to him. What does he care if the omega drowns? He warned him earlier to be careful, so is it his fault if San blatantly ignored him? Still, he finds himself taking a couple of steps into the river, spreading his legs apart to keep his balance as he fights against the current. 

He makes sure to keep his stance strong against the current, eyes fixed on the omega who’s quickly nearing him. San’s head bobs up one last time before he goes back under, and Yunho reaches out to snatch the omega by his arm, nails digging into his skin as he stops his momentum. 

For a moment, Yunho nearly loses his own footing, grunting when his arm dips dangerously low into the water. He manages to right himself, though, pulling San with him as he drags the omega back to land. He dumps him onto the rocks lining the river before crawling out of the river himself. 

San gasps, fingers digging into the hard surface of the warm rocks beneath him, and he shivers from the cold water that seems to seep into his very bones. He wipes the water from his face and blinks his eyes open just as Jongho reaches him. The alpha reaches down to help him up, and San turns over to look up at the Unmarked alpha from earlier. 

Yunho stares at the omega beneath him. The white paint from before has been washed away in the water, so he can see the omega’s unmarked face now. Truthfully, Yunho’s never really liked the markings that Jongho and San bored. Maybe a part of it was from the jealousy or not being allowed to wear them himself. He personally attributes it to not seeing it very often. The red markings on Jongho’s face and the white ones San had previously bore were just odd to him. 

But now, looking at the omega’s unmarked, unblemished face, his breath hitches. The omega is _pretty_. 

San pushes his wet hair away from his eyes, clearing his throat as he picks himself up onto his feet. He says nothing to Yunho who finally snaps out of his daze at the omega’s behavior. “You’re welcome,” the alpha snaps. 

San doesn’t even acknowledge him as he wrings the water from his clothes. The omega glances at Jongho who hovers near him. He shouldn’t say anything. He already messed up earlier, but then the Unmarked alpha snorts and mutters under his breath, “Why did I bother?” 

San lifts his head up to look at the alpha. He parts his lips to say something to him but freezes when he hears his name in the distance. 

“San! San, where are you?” 

Both alphas perk up at the sound of his name as well, and they share a look. Wordlessly, the Unmarked alpha snatches San by the arm, the omega yelping at the rough treatment, and shoves him at Jongho. “You take him,” he says to the younger alpha. 

Jongho sputters, eyes wide as he catches San in his hold. When he realizes who exactly he’s touching, however, he quickly drops his hands. “What?” 

Yunho drops down, pressing himself behind a rock in order to hide. “Take him,” he hisses at Jongho. “They’re going to find us anyways, and the last thing I need is for them to think I did something to their village head’s _son_.” He has a point. They wouldn’t exactly be pleased with Jongho, but they wouldn’t punish him for saving San either. 

“Wait—” San protests when Jongho takes him by the wrist and begins to pull him in the direction of the voices. He glances back at the Unmarked alpha, biting down on his cheek as he’s dragged away from the alpha. Yunho stays pressed up against the rock he’s taken refuge behind, listening carefully as Jongho pulls San away from him. 

“Here!” Jongho calls out when they make it up the small hill and onto the man made path that runs alongside the river. There’s a small group of people up ahead, and Jongho falters when he recognizes Wooyoung. 

“San!” the other omega calls out in relief, rushing over towards them. He comes to a halt right before his friend, cupping San’s face and looking the omega over in confusion. “What happened to you? You’re soaked! And your Marks!” 

San laughs nervously as he gently prods at his face. “I might have gone a little overboard today,” he admits. 

Wooyoung smacks him on the shoulder. “A little?! I’ve been looking for you for _hours_.” 

“Sorry,” San apologizes, smiling at his friend. 

“San.” 

The omega tenses up at the new voice, gaze straying over Wooyoung’s shoulder to look at his brother, and he shrinks underneath the alpha’s gaze. “Seonghwa,” he tips his head down in acknowledgement. His brother looks over him before his gaze moves over to Jongho. The young alpha tenses underneath his stare and quickly removes his hand from San’s wrist, holding his hands up in surrender. 

“What’s going on?” Seonghwa asks, narrowing his eyes at the markings on Jongho’s face. 

The young alpha turns his head away, face burning with shame. Seonghwa would be able to tell his rank from the markings alone, and Jongho wishes he could hide just like Yunho. “I was out here to collect some materials,” he lies, not willing to admit he was hunting. He wasn’t really supposed to be hunting in the first place, and it would only raise more questions as to what he was doing trying to hunt all the way out here. “I was just taking a break by the river when I saw your brother fall in.” 

San turns to him sharply, and Jongho meets his gaze, daring him to deny it. The omega licks his lips but relents. “Yes,” he agrees. “This alpha saved me from drowning.” 

Seonghwa seems to buy it. “Is that so? I suppose I owe you my gratitude then.” His eyes move over to his brother. “We’re going home.” San nods his head curtly. It wouldn’t be worth it to try and fight his brother right now. “Try not to make Wooyoung’s life so difficult from now on,” he scolds the omega. 

“I know. I’m sorry,” San apologizes as he glances up to his friend. Wooyoung shakes his head, throwing his arms around the other omega and reassuring him that he’s not mad. Even if he gets in trouble he’s not mad. 

Jongho tries not to feel too dejected or bitter when they seem to completely forget about him. Heaving a sigh, he glances at Wooyoung’s back wistfully. It looks like his lesson is over for today.

  
  
  
  


Seonghwa rolls his eyes as San throws his pillows and blankets around his room in a silly tantrum, reaching up to knock a stray pillow away when it comes a little too close to him. 

“This is unfair!” the omega seethes. 

“It’s more than fair,” Seonghwa chides. His brother whirls around to face him, holding a pillow above his head, although Seonghwa doesn’t feel the least bit threatened. San throws it at him anyways, lips curling up in annoyance when Seonghwa merely knocks it away like it’s nothing more than a minor nuisance. “You’re not supposed to leave the boundaries of the village. You know this, and yet you do it constantly. Wooyoung almost took the blame for it this time!” 

“It wasn’t his fault,” San denies vehemently. “I was hiding from him.” 

Sighing, Seonghwa places a hand on his waist and stares at his brother. “You can play all you want _within_ the safety of the village—” 

“That’s boring,” San protests. He looks around his room for more items to toss around because he’s mad, and Seonghwa isn’t helping. 

“It’s safe!” Seonghwa scolds him. “The only thing outside of here are wild beasts and the Unmarked. You nearly drowned yourself if not for that alpha who saved you.” 

San pauses, hands on a polished cup lying on his bedside table. The alpha who saved him, huh? San thinks about that tall, Unmarked alpha who had saved him earlier. He’d been rude and uncultured. He said San reeked and that he was stupid. He clearly didn’t know his place, and yet San couldn’t deny the way his heart skipped a beat when the alpha had pulled him out of the river like it was nothing. 

He’d never met an alpha like that. He knows alphas are strong, his own brother a good example of that, but he’d never met an alpha who so effortlessly scolded him while saving him at the same time. A part of him had been furious and confused when that alpha had shoved him towards Jongho, instructing the young alpha to take the credit for saving him when the Unmarked alpha deserved it instead. 

San wanted to see that alpha again. He wanted to know more about him. Who is he? Why is he Unmarked? However, all that might be difficult because, well—

“We’re just trying to protect you by banning you from leaving,” Seonghwa reminds him. “You’re an omega, San. And you’re not just any omega. You’re my brother.” 

San makes a face while he still has his back turned to Seonghwa. How is he supposed to go out to see an Unmarked alpha if he wouldn’t be allowed out of his family’s sight from now on? Until he’s mated no less? San can’t accept this. Even with Wooyoung’s help it would be difficult to sneak out. Besides, Wooyoung has been busy lately in preparation of The Chase—a thought suddenly crosses San’s mind. 

“Fine,” he agrees. “Then I would like to participate in The Chase.” 

Seonghwa startles at the request. “What?” he chokes out. “You want to participate in The Chase? Why? You never participate.” 

“I never had a reason to before,” San answers dismissively. “But if having a mate will sort all this out then would it not be in my best interest to participate?” 

Seonghwa breathes in deeply. San is really testing his patience right now. “You don’t need to participate, though,” he assures his brother. “You have a perfectly good mate-to-be waiting for you.” 

“No,” San says harshly, finally turning to face his brother. His expression is harsh, lips downturned and his brows pinched together. 

“San, Captain Lee—” 

“I said no!” San clenches his hands into fists at his sides, lifting his shoulders up defensively. “I don’t want to mate with him.” 

“He’s the General’s son,” Seonghwa points out. “Frankly speaking, he’s the only one fit to be your mate.” 

Technically speaking, Seonghwa is right, but San nevertheless turns up his nose at the idea. Once upon a time he wasn’t so opposed to the idea; he even had a crush on the Captain at one point. Just like Seonghwa said, he’s the only alpha that’s really fit to be his mate, but San’s hated him ever since he once told San he couldn’t wait to have the omega beneath him. San wasn’t really sure if it was just his own kink or what, but something about the way he had said it made San’s skin crawl, and what attraction he had towards the alpha quickly evaporated. 

In general, San didn’t like alphas all that much. He admired his brother, and there were certainly a few alphas around the village that seemed decent enough, but no one that San liked. Truly liked. That Unmarked alpha though...San licks his lips at the thought, trying to recall his face. 

“Let’s be real. Do you not think that the alpha who saved me is just as worthy to be my mate?” he proposes. “He saved my life. I would have drowned in that river without him.” 

Seonghwa sputters at the suggestion, staring at his brother like he’s lost his mind. “That merchant?” he asks in disbelief. San frowns at his reaction, momentarily confused himself before he remembers that Seonghwa would think that merchant alpha saved him. “I mean, I understand that The Chase presents alphas like him with a better opportunity for a mate, but there’s no way he’s suitable for you.” 

“Even if he were to catch me?” San challenges. 

“San, he wouldn’t be able to.” 

“But if he did,” the omega persists. “You’d have to acknowledge it, wouldn’t you?” 

Seonghwa pinches the bridge of his nose, groaning as a slow pounding begins to pick up its pace in the back of his mind. “It’s the rules of The Chase, but that still doesn’t mean he’s the best _choice_.” 

San grins at him though, tongue poking out to lick at his lips. “We’ll see then. I want to participate in The Chase.” 

  
  
  
  


Jongho jumps when the door to his hut abruptly opens although he immediately relaxes when Hongjoong walks in. The older omega pauses to stare at him, chewing on his bottom lip thoughtfully. Jongho grimaces, wondering what the omega feels the need to scold him about this time. 

“I heard a funny rumor,” Hongjoong finally says. 

Jongho doesn’t know if he’s in the clear or not. “What kind of rumor?” he asks. 

Hongjoong places his hands on his hips, watching as Jongho busies himself organizing some of his wares. He still needs to arrange to bring lumber to Yunho after The Chase. Oh. Right. He still had to worry about The Chase. He’d nearly forgotten in the aftermath of everything else that had suddenly happened in the last 24 hours. “People are saying you saved San from drowning,” the omega says bluntly. “Did you?” 

Sucking in a sharp breath, Jongho reaches out to run his fingers along the furs Yunho had given him. “I was there,” he answers. 

“So you did?” 

“I was there.” 

Hongjoong frowns at his vague response. “Then who saved him?” 

Jongho shrugs his shoulders. “I guess I did.” 

The omega groans, stalking forward before pausing when his eyes land on the furs Jongho is running his hands over. “Oh. Those are nice,” he remarks, admiring the handiwork. 

Jongho perks up and turns to face him. “They are, aren’t they?” 

With a smile, Hongjoong nods his head. Then a thought crosses his mind, and his expression becomes decidedly stormy. “Jongho…” he says slowly, squinting at the alpha, “don’t tell me these are for Wooyoung.” 

The alpha laughs, doing his best not to sound too awkward or stilted. “For Wooyoung? Of course not. Why would you think that?” He pulls his hands away from the furs to scratch behind his ears. “They’re just...in preparation. The Chase is soon, you know.” 

“I know,” Hongjoong says quietly, and Jongho turns to look at him, frowning at the omega’s tone. 

“Are you going to participate?” the alpha asks. 

“No.” Hongjoong shakes his head with a frown on his lips. “There’s no point.” 

Pressing his lips together in a thin line, Jongho glances back at his furs. The Chase was a chance to prove yourself for the right to pursue a mate, but it was really only true for alphas. Alphas who could chase down and catch an omega, particularly one of a higher caste, earned the right to court, but omegas couldn’t do the same. Jongho feels guilty for even asking. Unlike Jongho whose rank really suffered in light of his temporary banishment, Hongjoong was born into a low caste, and a low caste omega had very little prospects. 

Without a second thought, Jongho tugs one of the furs off the rack he hung them over and offers it to Hongjoong who blinks when it’s shoved in his face. “Here,” Jongho encourages. “Take it.” 

“Me? Why?” Hesitantly, Hongjoong takes the fur, mostly because Jongho practically shoves it into his hands. 

“It’s not a courting gift,” Jongho clarifies even though he doesn’t need to. They both know, and Hongjoong wouldn’t accept it if it was. He knows the omega has an alpha that he likes, but he’s secretive about it. “But every omega deserves a nice set of furs. If your alpha won’t give you one than I will,” the younger man boasts. 

Hongjoong lifts the fur up to his lips, hiding a laugh behind them. “Thank you,” he says, smiling genuinely at the younger alpha. 

“Of course.” Jongho beams at him. 

A knock sounds on his door at that moment, distracting the two of them. Hongjoong furrows his eyebrows together while Jongho frowns. They both turn to look at the door. 

“Expecting someone?” Hongjoong questions, but Jongho shakes his head in response. He wasn’t expecting anyone today. He wasn’t even expecting Hongjoong today. 

“The door is open,” he calls out while approaching it anyways. It swings open right before Jongho can reach for it, and the alpha blinks and takes a step back when he sees San on the other side. He openly stares at the omega, convinced that he must be seeing things. “Uh, San,” he belatedly bows down in respect to the omega, “what are you doing...here?” he stutters. 

San steps into his hut, looking perfectly at home as he looks around, eyes stopping on Hongjoong who quickly bows as well. Then he looks at Jongho and smiles. “I wanted to speak with you.” 

Jongho raises his eyebrows and points to himself. “Me?” he repeats. 

“Yes.” San nods his head, glancing over to the other omega in Jongho’s house. “Privately if you would.” 

Hongjoong quickly springs into action, hurrying towards the front door. He pauses next to Jongho to place a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll wait outside until you’re finished,” he murmurs to his friend. Jongho nods his head, waving him off as he steps outside. When he’s left alone with San, he doesn’t know what to do. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he wonders if he should offer the omega something to drink. 

“Um, can I get you anything?” he asks awkwardly. 

San grins at him, walking around Jongho to head further into his little hut, taking a seat in one of his chairs. “Yes,” he says. “I want information.” 

Jongho blinks, following after the omega. “About what?” 

“About that Unmarked alpha you were hanging out with.” The alpha tenses and stares at the omega lounging on his chair. San smiles at him and motions for Jongho to take a seat in the chair across from him. “You don’t have to look so scared,” San assures him. “I won’t tell anyone that you talk to him if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

Jongho gingerly lowers himself down onto the chair, folding his hands neatly over his lap. “Then what do you want to know?” 

Leaning forward, San places his elbows on top of his knees and threads his fingers together. “Who is he?” 

“Yunho?” San perks up at the mention of his name, filing that away for later. “He’s…” Jongho searches for the right words to describe the alpha. “I don’t know—just Yunho? He’s Unmarked.” 

“Why?” San asks. “For how long?” 

“For life,” Jongho answers. “He was born into it. Jeong Yunho.” 

San settles back when he recognizes the name. “Oh. So he’s that woman’s son,” he remarks, crossing his arms over his chest. It certainly made his life a bit more difficult as well. “Where does he live?” 

Jongho balks at the question, fingers toying with themselves as his eyebrows knit together. “Excuse me?” He’s just a bit caught off guard by the question. Why did San want to know? He bites down on his bottom lip nervously as he eyes the omega sitting across from him. Was Yunho in trouble? Would San really send people after him for what happened the other day? He knows the Unmarked alpha technically broke a lot of rules. He’d spoken to San, and he had touched the omega, but it had all been for San’s own benefit. Yunho saved his life! Surely San wouldn’t seek retribution for that, would he? 

“Relax. It’s not what you think” San assures him as if reading Jongho’s mind. It probably isn’t that hard considering the apprehensive expression on his face. The omega looks down at his lap, twisting his fingers into his shirt. “I just...wanted to thank him. For saving me.” 

“Ah.” Jongho nods his head in understanding. It seems like a reasonable enough request. “If you head out like you're going to the temple, you’d head west at the fork in the road instead of east. It’ll lead you up a little hill. Yunho has a cabin up there.” 

San nods his head as he listens carefully to the alpha’s instructions, committing them to memory. “Thanks,” he smiles at the alpha, pushing himself up from the chair. 

Jongho follows him, startled by San’s actions. “That’s it?” he asks. “That’s all you wanted?” 

The omega nods his head with a bright smile. “Yeah, that’s all I wanted to know.” 

Still, Jongho nervously follows the omega out, teeth digging into his tongue when San steps outside. Hongjoong looks up when San exits the hut, his eyes moving over to Jongho. His gaze is questioning, but the alpha only shrugs. He doesn’t know. However, San pauses when his eyes meet Hongjoong’s, and the elder quickly averts his gaze down, again bowing respectfully. 

“You’re from a family of craftsmen, right?” San asks, pointing at Hongjoong. 

The older omega looks up in surprise. “Uh, yeah.” He’s from a family of smithies and other craftsmen. 

“I’ve heard you make jewelry.” 

Hongjoong reaches up to scratch behind his ear, and he shyly nods his head. He’s not technically supposed to. Making jewelry is above his caste and not what he’s expected to continue with, but it’s a hobby he enjoys and which Jongho helps him with whenever he has the material to spare. “Just in my free time,” he answers. 

“Can I see?” San requests, eyes gleaming in excitement. “I was looking for something.” 

“Uh. Sure.” Hongjoong smiles politely. “I’d be happy to help.” 

  
  
  
  


It doesn’t feel right. Something about hosting San in his home just doesn’t feel right, and Hongjoong scrambles to pick up all the miscellaneous items littering his hut in an attempt to at least make it seem like less of a mess, but he just has too much stuff and not enough space. He doesn’t even have a chair for San to sit down in, and he feels terrible as he drags a cushion out and motions for San to sit there. The younger omega doesn’t voice any complaints, however, neatly tucking his legs underneath himself as he sits down on the cushion and looks around Hongjoong’s hut curiously. 

“Can I get you any tea or something?” Hongjoong asks, still desperately picking up after himself. 

“No.” San frowns when he can’t find what he’s looking for. “Where are your works though? I really want to take a look.” 

“Ah. Right.” Hongjoong fidgets, grimacing as he takes a look around his messy hut. “Wait right here,” he says as if San has anywhere else to go, and he disappears to grab his small collection. He returns with a wooden box, intricately carved. He’d worked on it himself with a small set of knives he had made. When he spots San sitting on the floor in the middle of what acted as more or less his kitchen, Hongjoong hesitates. With a heavy sigh, Hongjoong sinks to his knees in front of San, holding back a wince when they dig into the hard floor beneath him. 

“Come on,” San encourages him, eager to see what the omega has in his box. 

“Um.” Hongjoong hesitates again, fingers tracing the edge of the box. “May I ask what you’re looking for?” He’s admittedly a bit self conscious to show San his work. But maybe he’s just curious?

“I’m looking for a gift worthy to give to an alpha,” San replies. 

Hongjoong stiffens up at his response. He wants a gift for an alpha? That means he’s looking for a courting gift, right? The older omega is suddenly more self conscious about his works. Worried, he says, “Listen, this is just something I do when I have the time and materials. Surely, you can find a more suitable gift from an actual jeweler.” 

“I’m sure they could, but I want one from you.” San smiles at him, and Hongjoong tries not to flush, gazing down at the wooden box in his hands. Truthfully, San has no doubt that he could get something incredibly beautiful and worthy from one of the town jewelers, but he’s heard rumors of Hongjoong’s work, and, frankly, he’d rather get something a bit under-the-table so to speak. The last thing he needs is for one of the jewelers to blab to Seonghwa about what he’s doing. 

Still, Hongjoong fingers along the edge of the box anxiously, so San prods him a little more. “Don’t you have anything you’ve made for an alpha you fancy?” 

Hongjoong squeaks at the suggestion, fingers tightening around the box in his hand. “An alpha I like?” he repeats nervously. “I...don’t think I have anything I could confidently give him.” 

San blinks, wondering who the omega is talking about, but Hongjoong is incredibly vague. “Well, let me take a look,” he suggests eagerly. “I’m sure you must have something.” He holds his hands out in a silent request to take a peek at Hongjoong’s work, and the elder tentatively hands the box over. 

Without hesitation, San opens the lid of the box, peering into its contents. It’s surprisingly well organized, and the younger omega can’t help but ogle some of Hongjoong’s works. They’re not professional by any means, but the quality is still amazing. Besides, San thinks with a small smile, these seem somehow more suitable for an Unmarked alpha. 

“I like these,” San tells him, cupping his chin between his thumb and forefinger thoughtfully as he eyes the choices before him. He looks up at the other omega with a sly smile on his lips. “Did you make all these with an alpha in mind?” 

Hongjoong squeaks, reaching out to snatch the box back from San, but the young omega holds it out of the way. “Me? No! I’m not—they’re not—” Hongjoong flounders, unsure of how to even answer. 

“It’s okay. I won’t ask who.” San smiles, settling the box back down into his lap to sift through Hongjoong’s work again. 

“It’s not like it matters anyways,” Hongjoong mutters bitterly to himself, peeking at San but the younger omega doesn’t seem to notice. He’s back to looking through Hongjoong’s collection. After sorting through it for a few minutes, San finally pulls out a necklace that he likes. It’s a simple crescent moon made out of silver. A small, light blue crystal sits cradled at the bottom curve of it, and a thin leather string holds it together as a necklace. 

Hongjoong can’t help but stare at the piece San picked out. There’s nothing particularly amazing about it. It was one of Hongjoong’s earlier attempts. Surely he had something better, more presentable for the omega to use, but when he tries to suggest something else, San waves him off, staring intently at the pendant. The only thing of real value was the gemstone attached to the pendant. An aquamarine. Picked specifically because Hongjoong thought it matched the alpha he had fancied for so long. 

“Do you mind if I take this one?” San asks. 

“I—” Hongjoong looks down at the rest of the jewelry in his box. Is there anything particularly special about that necklace? No. But they all hold some bits of sentimental value to him. All of them meant for someone he could never give them to. He supposes San could, though, and he doesn’t know how to feel about that. “No,” he finally says, reaching out to take the box from San. He smiles forcefully as he closes the lid over the rest of his pieces. “It’s yours.” 

  
  
  
  


On the night of The Chase, Wooyoung is admittedly a little confused when San shows up and immediately asks him to switch clothes. The omega instinctively hugs himself, protective of his own clothing as he eyes his best friend up and down like he’s lost his mind. “Why are you here?” he asks, shying away from San when he tries to forcefully remove Wooyoung’s shirt. “You don’t participate in The Chase. I thought you didn’t want to get caught.” 

“I could say the same about you,” San snorts. “You don’t want to get caught either, yet here you are.” 

“It’s _fun_ ,” Wooyoung defends. He likes it—the thrill of giving some alphas an opportunity to catch him before snatching it right out of their hands. It never fails to send a shiver of satisfaction up his spine. San, though, he never participated. 

Wooyoung gets it. No one but the Captain would probably even dare to try and chase him down, and San has been less than thrilled by the idea that the only alpha for him is their Captain. Wooyoung’s known this since that time San stormed into his hut when he was only thirteen years old, repulsed by the way the alpha had spoken to him. He was eager for the omega to present. Wouldn’t shut up apparently about how he wanted to fill San with pups when the omega had hoped for something a bit more romantic. More like courtship and less like a done deal. In the years since, the alpha hardly changed, and Wooyoung had watched as San’s affection for him waned with each passing day. 

So why now, of all years, would San choose to participate in The Chase? 

Wooyoung narrows his eyes at his friend. “What are you planning now?” he asks suspiciously. There’s no way San is just participating because he suddenly wants to make up with the Captain. He must be up to something. 

“Nothing that you’ll get in trouble for,” San says under his breath as he pleads for Wooyoung’s cooperation. Switching clothes isn’t even against the rules, and he needs someone to carry his scent away from his actual destination. “Just do this for me? I need the help.” 

“That’s what I’m worried about,” Wooyoung complains. “Exactly what do you need help with?” 

San glances around to make sure there’s no one within ear shot. “To keep the disgusting bastard off my track obviously.” 

Wooyoung snorts. “If you wanted to do that you’d just not participate like always.” 

“I need to participate,” San insists. Then, more shyly, he adds, “There’s someone I’d like to meet.” 

Immediately Wooyoung’s eyes gleam, and his lips stretch into a smile. “Oh?” He’s suddenly interested, looping his arm into San’s and pulling him in close enough to press their foreheads together. “You’re interested in someone?” he pries. “Who? Tell me. He must be the opposite of the Captain I assume.” 

San laughs at his guess. “Yeah, you could say that,” he affirms. “But I really don’t need the interference, you know?” He glances back towards where many of the alphas are beginning to gather. 

Wooyoung smiles knowingly. “Captain will most definitely be coming after you. He never participates because you don’t either.” 

With a grin, San reaches out for the hem of his friend’s shirt again. “He won’t be coming after me, though, will he?” Wooyoung shivers at the near threat in the blond’s tone. San continues, “Because you’ll lure him away from me, won’t you?” 

Wooyoung sighs but pulls San along with a muttered agreement, away from their others so they can have some secrecy. “I do way too much for you,” he grumbles. 

“That’s why I love you,” San croons. 

They startle to a stop when someone blocks their path, and San pulls a face when he sees Seonghwa before them. Wooyoung stutters, bowing his head down politely to the future Head Alpha while San sneers at his brother to leave. The alpha’s only response is to cross his arms over his chest and glare at his brother. “Is that how you should speak to me?” Seonghwa asks. 

“I wouldn’t have to if you weren’t so annoying,” San sniffs, avoiding his brother’s gaze. 

“I wanted to make sure you weren’t up to anything,” Seonghwa admits, looking between the two omegas with some suspicion. Wooyoung glances over to San. The blond assured him he wouldn’t do anything to bring the younger omega trouble. “You suddenly wanted to take part in The Chase. I know the Captain has nothing to do with it, so I can’t say I’m not concerned.” 

“Or you could trust me because I’m your brother,” San suggests. 

Seonghwa laughs like it’s a hilarious joke. “You remember our deal?” 

The omega rolls his eyes, partially hiding himself behind his friend. “Yeah, yeah. I won’t go out of my way to make it easy for the alpha I like,” he recites through his teeth. It’s not really a lie, he tells himself. After all, that alpha isn’t participating, but it’s also not like he won’t break almost every rule by leaving the area of the chase which is why he needs Wooyoung. 

“Oh, my God. So there is someone,” Wooyoung blurts out, unable to help himself. He covers his mouth with his hands when both the brothers look at him. “Sorry,” he apologizes to Seonghwa because he doesn’t believe his friend deserves it anyways. “I was just curious.” 

“It would seem his savior has caught his attention,” Seonghwa tells him with a sigh. 

Wooyoung gasps, eyes widening in awe. “Really?” he asks, turning to San who pulls his lips up into a sneer. “The alpha who saved you from the river?” 

_No_ , San wants to answer, but he just gives his friend a tight lip smile which Wooyoung interprets as an admission. His friend’s gaze immediately turns towards the alphas, and San nudges him in the side in reprimand. Wooyoung’s not even subtle about it. 

“I don’t approve,” Seonghwa interjects with narrowed eyes. He turns his attention to Wooyoung who straightens up, standing attentively. “I want you to make sure that he actually _tries_ if he’s going to participate in this thing. The point is for an alpha to prove himself, not for a smitten omega to just fall into his arms.” 

“I’m not _easy_ ,” San denies. “I just think I can prove you wrong. That’s also part of the deal, isn’t it?” 

The brothers stare each other down long enough that it makes Wooyoung uncomfortable. The omega shifts his weight back and forth as he watches them square off with each other. “Don’t worry,” he finally says to Seonghwa. “We were actually on our way to strategize.” 

San pounces on the opportunity Wooyoung presents him with, pushing his friend forward past his brother. “Yes,” he agrees. “We were actually on our way to strategize, so if you don’t mind.” He makes a little shooing motion at his brother as he pushes Wooyoung along. Seonghwa frowns at him but allows him to go without much protest. 

They only manage to just ditch the alpha when Wooyoung turns on him. “So that alpha?” he asks, expression eager. 

“I don’t like him,” San answers. He snorts a little when Wooyoung’s expression falls, clearly disappointed. “He’s not the one who saved me,” he clarifies although that doesn’t seem quite fair. If not for Jongho, San might very well have been swept away by the current without that Unmarked alpha ever knowing, but he’s still not the one who had single handedly pulled him from the raging waters of that river. 

Wooyoung pauses to think about it for a moment before he finally says, “Well I guess that’s a good thing. Didn’t you see the Marks he bore? He was outcast as an Unmarked for a while.” 

Frowning, San turns to his friend. “I know. You did that, remember?” 

“Me?” Wooyoung sputters, pointing to himself. “When? How? I don’t even know him.” 

San shakes his head. He doesn’t have the time or brain power to deal with his friend right now. “Forget it,” he dismisses. “We have other things to do.” He needs to get ready for tonight, and he’s getting kind of sick of all the interrogations. 

“Wait.” Wooyoung digs his heels into the ground and pulls San back. “Hold on. What do you mean he’s not the one who saved you? Who did then?” 

San stomps his feet into the ground a bit impatiently, trying to pull Wooyoung along with him. “Can we talk about this later? The Chase is going to start soon.” Wooyoung puffs his cheeks out, looking like he wants to argue some more, but he ultimately relents, allowing San to ferry him away to somewhere more private. 

When they turn to continue, San yelps as he nearly trips over someone, quickly righting himself as he looks down at the person sitting on a little log. He blinks at the familiar omega. “Hongjoong,” he greets, watching the way the omega jumps before whipping around to face him. The elder had been facing the other direction, looking off towards where the alphas had gathered. 

“Oh.” His eyes move between San and Wooyoung before he lowers his gaze. They both outrank him. Nearly everyone does. Jongho might be the only one technically below him, and that was really only because of his previous banishment. “Are you getting ready?” 

“Yeah. What about you? Did you change your mind?” San asks. 

Hongjoong shakes his head. “No. I just came to watch the start. That’s all.” He glances back towards the alphas, and San can’t help but follow his gaze. The alpha he’s interested in must be there, but San can’t tell who it is. Hongjoong’s just looking at a cluster of them. Then Wooyoung nudges him on the shoulder, asking if San still wants to go through with his plan, and he waves goodbye to Hongjoong who barely acknowledges him as they leave.

  
  
  
  
  


Yunho looks up towards the night sky when he hears the first guttural howls in the night, and his lips pull down into a frown. Even though he knew it was coming, it doesn’t stop it from being annoying. At least it means Jongho should stop by with his lumber in the next few days. Figuring he won’t be getting a restful night of sleep between the howls and cries and other insane noises the people in the village make when they perform this ritual, Yunho leaves his little cabin to get some work done. If they won’t let him sleep he might as well prepare for the next day's hunt. 

What he doesn’t expect to find when he walks out, is an omega trying to jump the decrepit fence he built for his mother when he was fifteen winters old. “Hey!” he yells out as the omega finishes wiggling his way over the fence to drop down into Yunho’s yard. 

Dropping the items he brought with him outside, he stomps over to the omega although he hesitates when he recognizes the shock of blond hair and the glimpse of white paint. It was that omega who had fallen into the river. The son of the head of the village. That’s what Jongho had told him. The hesitation only lasts for a brief moment before the anger takes over again. Was this stupid omega just out to get him in trouble? 

“What are you doing here?” he demands, grabbing the omega by the elbow and roughly pulling him to his feet. San whines in protest at the rough treatment, twisting his arm out of the alpha’s grip. “You’re way out of your territory, omega.” 

“I know,” San huffs. He brushes his hands against his pants, grimacing at all the dirt smeared across them from when he had fallen. Why did this alpha have to be so rough? It must have been a product of being raised Unmarked. “Jongho told me where to find you.” 

Yunho’s jaw tightens, and he narrows his eyes. “What do you want?” 

San looks around Yunho’s little property, and the alpha spreads his legs apart and pushes his shoulders back, trying to stand tall and broad like he can somehow block the omega’s view. He doesn’t know why, but he feels oddly ashamed of his little cabin—at least under this omega’s gaze. San hasn’t even said anything about it, but Yunho’s hackles rise anyway. 

“Well—” San pauses, looking back towards the fence as a curse falls from his lips. “First can you give me a place to hide?” 

Yunho sputters. “Excuse me?” 

“Please?” the omega pleads even as he heads straight for Yunho’s cabin. 

The alpha catches him by the wrist, pulling him back. “No one invited you in here,” he hisses at the omega. 

San looks between the alpha and his fence, growing increasingly anxious when Yunho doesn’t relent on his hold. “Listen,” he says before he can even come up with an argument. He pauses for a moment. They barely know each other. Yunho didn’t even want to take credit for saving him from the river. Still, San is in desperate need of a place to hide for now. “It’s probably in both of our best interests if you let me hide. There’s an annoying alpha from the tribe who chased me all the way up here.”

“ _What?_ ” 

San slips from Yunho’s hold, running the rest of the way to the cabin. “Make sure you get him to leave,” he calls out before slamming the door shut. 

Yunho sputters at his behavior but can’t even drag the omega from his cabin before there’s a pounding at the gate of his fence. The alpha hesitates, eyes lingering on the door of his cabin where the omega has disappeared into. The pounding at his gate steadily increases in violence and urgency, however, someone yelling for the omega inside. 

“This is far against the rules, San!” the voice says. “You’re out of the boundaries! I know you like to play hard to get, but this is ridiculous!” 

Taking a deep breath, Yunho slowly makes his way over to the gate, pulling it open just enough that he can peer outside. There’s a tall, well-built alpha on the other side, his face covered in red paint. The markings mean nothing to him, but over the years he’s at least learned that the more marks someone bears the higher their status in the village. This guy must hold a lot of status. 

Pressing his lips into a thin line, Yunho has half a mind to demand this alpha to remove the omega from his home. Instead he says, “What the hell are you doing out here screaming at my door?” 

The alpha startles as he stares at Yunho, doing a quick scan of the Unmarked alpha before he scoffs. “Who do you think you are?” he snaps back at Yunho. “You have no right to even speak to me!” 

“You’re the one on my property screaming for someone like a mad man,” Yunho snarls back. “Have you lost your mind? You’re right. This is far outside of _your_ territory. That’s why _I_ live here. Leave.” He tries to close the gate, but the alpha reaches out to press his palms flat against it, stopping Yunho. 

“Wait. An omega came up here. Hand him over.” 

Yunho laughs. “An omega? You must be kidding. Again, this is outside of your territory. Why would an omega be up here?” 

“This omega is sly,” the alpha mutters. “I can _smell_ him.” 

Tsking, Yunho opens his door wider like he’s daring the alpha to come in and explore. “This is the night of your Chase, isn’t it? I’ve heard omegas go out of their way to make it difficult for you.” 

The alpha takes a tentative step into Yunho’s home, peering around the little yard, but he doesn’t venture further. “What’s your point?” 

“That you’re an idiot who got duped,” Yunho deadpans. The alpha bristles, grabbing the Unmarked alpha by the collar of his shirt. 

“How _dare_ you?” he snarls at him. 

“You’re the one convinced that an omega is here,” Yunho points out. “So who’s the real dumbass?” 

With a huff, the alpha pushes Yunho away from him. He gives the area a final once over before shaking his head. “San wouldn’t come here,” he mutters to himself. He might have been a little more reckless and willing to bend rules, but there’s no way he would seek shelter with an Unmarked. He refused to believe it. He doesn’t say anything to Yunho as he turns on his heels and marches out, back down the hill he came. 

Yunho closes the gate with a little sigh. What the hell had he done? He should have just let him take that omega. Then again, how would it look if he had come into Yunho’s cabin and seen San there? Yunho might have borne the brunt of it anyway, so perhaps that omega did have a point. 

He turns back to his cabin, ready to head inside and let the omega know that the coast is clear when the door opens and the blond peaks his head out to look around. Their eyes meet. “Is he gone?” San asks. 

“Yes,” Yunho says after a deep, prolonged inhale. “Who was he?” 

The omega shakes his head, clearly dismissive of whoever that man was. “Just some annoying alpha,” he answers. Then he looks at Yunho with a smile. “Thank you. I didn’t think that fool would actually realize I was going this way. I had one of my friends try to lure him away, but I guess it didn’t work.” 

“You brought him to my place.” 

“It was unintentional,” San defends. “I was planning to come by myself. He ended up just being more persistent than I expected.” 

Yunho sighs. He believes him even if he’s annoyed by his antics. “So what the hell are you doing out here? If Jongho told you where to find me I assume you’ve come out of your way to find me.” 

“I was—am—looking for you.” Yunho crosses his arms over his chest. He hopes this isn’t about the other day. “How come you didn’t want to take credit for saving me? Everyone thinks Jongho saved me.” 

Yunho stares at him for a moment. That’s what he came all the way here for? With a shake of his head, Yunho walks back over to his abandoned items, bending over to pick them up one by one and tuck them beneath his arm. “Is it that important?” he asks when he straightens back up. There’s a moment of hesitation before Yunho turns to face the omega. “I won’t say I know much, but I can tell you’re clearly someone important. The last thing I needed was to give them a reason to make my life even more difficult.”

“But you saved me,” San argues, trailing after the alpha when he heads towards what is clearly a workbench. “If anything you could have gotten a reward. It’s like you said, I’m important.” 

“A reward?” Yunho laughs. “You think they’d give me anything? I’m almost certain I’d be punished for putting my hands on you.” San puffs his chest out, not satisfied by Yunho’s response, but he’s unable to say anything even to muster up a defense. Yunho is probably right. Even if he saved San’s life, his family would likely only look at all the rules broken in the process. “Why are you here then? To express your gratitude? I don’t need it.” 

“What’s wrong with my gratitude?” San squawks. It’s not really why he’s here, but he’s a little offended by the fact that Yunho is so unenthusiastic about it. 

“Nothing,” the alpha says. “But that’s the problem. It means nothing. It does nothing for me. I don’t need it.” 

“Surely it must mean something,” San insists, rounding around Yunho’s workbench. He places his hands on top of the makeshift table, preventing the alpha from putting his materials down. 

The alpha sighs, and San can’t help but stare at his lips. The first time he’d seen the alpha he had been shaken. Yunho looked so different —so bizarre—with his bare face. San can’t deny that the alpha is handsome but without any markings to show his stature, the omega had initially dismissed him. Hell, he thought the alpha downright rude when he’d first spoken to San, reprimanding him for his recklessness and his generally disrespectful treatment of him. 

But then San had fallen into that river. He hadn’t ever thought about how dangerous it could be, but in that moment as the current quickly swept him away, forcing him to struggle to keep his head above water, the omega had truly feared for his life. At least until Yunho had reached in and pulled him from the river. 

This alpha—this Unmarked alpha—with no status, no value, nothing, had pulled him from the freezing water, and he had done so almost effortlessly. Cold, wet, and shivering San admits that when he looked up at the alpha through water soaked bangs, his opinion had changed. He wondered in that moment what his markings would look like on Yunho, pretty and red to symbolize his status and nature. San thinks he would look beautiful. 

“When you spend every day of your life fighting for survival with no one else to depend on, you quickly realize that words mean nothing. Your sentiment is cute, but misguided.” Nothing about the alpha’s tone belies any kind of affection or warmth for San’s actions, however, and the omega can’t help but bristle. The Captain would be practically eating out of the palm of his hand by now. 

San quickly shakes that thought off. He doesn’t want to think about that man. The fact that Yunho is so uniquely and refreshingly different is probably half of his charm. 

Reaching into his tunic, San pulls out the necklace he received from Hongjoong, placing it down on top of the bench. Finally, he seems to have caught the alpha’s attention because Yunho quiets as he stares down at the necklace before him. For a long moment he simply studies the item, never touches it, just stares. 

Finally, he asks, “What is this?” 

San practically beams. He supposes it’s not too shocking that the gesture would be next to meaningless for Yunho. It would seem his only other company was Jongho from time to time. “Just as it is customary for alphas to offer up furs to an omega they are trying to court, omegas often present jewelry such as this to an alpha of their fancy.” He gestures to the necklace before nudging it a little closer when Yunho makes no move to pick it up. 

The Unmarked alpha raises his eyebrows at San’s explanation and lifts his eyes up to meet San’s gaze. “Are you saying this is a courting gift?” he clarifies. 

“It is,” San says eagerly. 

Yunho reaches out as if to take it before pausing and ultimately pulling his hand away. “Is this some trick?” 

San blinks at him. “What trick?” 

Yunho studies him for a minute before his gaze drops back down to the necklace before him. “You imply it’s a courting gift—”

“It is one,” San declares bluntly. “It’s common for omegas to offer such trinkets that they make.” 

“Then I’m sure you understand how unbelievable that sounds?” Yunho points out. “I am Unmarked. And you are clearly an omega with some standing. Why would you offer me a courting gift?”

The omega frowns, partly frustrated by Yunho’s reluctance and the implication that this is somehow a trick and partly awed by just how dense he seems. “I don’t know. Why would I offer you a _courting_ gift? It’s a gift. Is the implication not clear enough?” 

Yunho finally reaches out to touch the necklace, fingers running along the thin leather straps before they caress the pendant. Finally, he says, “So you are offering this necklace you made because you like me? Because I saved your life?” 

San grins at him. “See? You do understand.”

“I’m Unmarked,” Yunho reminds him. 

“So you’re a little rough around the edges,” the omega shrugs it off like it’s no big deal. “Honestly, I’ve never even really met an alpha that I liked. I like you though.”

Yunho picks the pendant up, examining it closely as he says, “Your blunt honesty is rather impressive.” San isn’t sure if that’s a compliment of not but he chooses to accept it as a compliment. “The craftsmanship is a little clumsy, but it’s nice,” the alpha observes, lifting his eyes up to meet San’s. 

The omega flushes a little as his own gaze drops down to the necklace Yunho has in his hand. “Ah, well I didn’t actually make it. I got it from a friend who does it as more of a hobby. He’s not bad though!” Sure, it wasn’t as polished as something San could have gotten from one of the professional jewelers, but he didn’t think Yunho would care too much about that. He thought it would actually suit the alpha this way. 

Yunho’s eyes gleam at the omega’s confession. “Oh, is that so? Would you let him know that I appreciate the courting gift in that case? Perhaps you could even help arrange a meeting with this secret admirer of mine,” he suggests 

San sputters at the suggestion. “No, it’s from me,” he clarifies. 

“But you didn’t make it,” Yunho points out. “I thought you said it was common for omegas to _make_ these as a gift. I’d assume you were just a messenger in that case, no?” 

San scrambles to snatch the necklace from Yunho’s hand, frowning when the alpha smiles at him. He doesn’t put up much of a fight, however, easily giving over the piece of jewelry. “Fine,” the omega grumbles as he stuffs the necklace safely back into his tunic, “I’ll make you something myself. Would that make you happy?” 

Happy? Yunho isn’t so sure about that. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll actually believe you though.” 

San squares his shoulders. Very well. He’ll take that challenge. 

  
  
  
  


Seonghwa finds his brother easily the morning after The Chase, the blond looking rather dejected as he does his best to dodge the Captain. He catches his younger brother as he approaches, and San releases a little squeak before relaxing when he realizes that it’s just Seonghwa. 

“You weren’t caught,” the alpha notes. 

San represses any signs of guilt as he smiles thinly at his brother. “No,” he agrees. Seonghwa sighs in relief, so San can’t help but add, “Captain didn’t catch me either.” 

“Well, I’m sure you made his life as difficult as you could,” his brother points out. He pulls the younger into a brief hug, patting him on the shoulder. San accepts the hug a bit begrudgingly, stiffening up when Seonghwa whispers in his ear. “I’m not your enemy, San. I just want what’s best for you.” 

San pulls away from his brother with a rueful smile. “I know what’s best for me,” he insists. “I wish you would at least trust me. I know that Captain isn’t good for me.” 

“But the alpha who saved you is?” Seonghwa questions. 

“He saved me,” San points out to which his brother only shakes his head. 

“It was just lucky that he was there.” 

“Even if that’s true,” San says, “he’s the only alpha I’ve ever taken an interest in. Can’t you at least give me that?” 

Seonghwa reaches out to place his hand against his brother’s chest. “That’s why I agreed to this, isn’t it? That’s why I convinced Mom and Dad for you. If he can prove it—really prove that he’s fit for you—I’ll accept it. He didn’t though, did he?” He cocks a brow pointedly at San. 

“Next time,” the omega persists. 

“San,” the alpha sighs, pausing when he feels something in his brother’s tunic. “What’s this?” he asks, feeling out the item in San’s clothes. 

“Oh.” San blinks when he remembers the necklace in there. He could return it to Hongjoong. He probably should, but a part of him is too ashamed to. What would it say about him if he returned it to the other omega? Wouldn’t it be obvious that an alpha had outright rejected him? Without a second thought, San pulls the necklace out and shoves it into his brother’s hands. “It’s something I actually promised to pass along to you. You have an admirer. He’s too scared to give it to you himself.” 

Seonghwa stutters, looking down at the necklace San gives him. “What? For me? Who made it?” 

San shakes his head. “I can’t say. Anyways, I was just asked to give it to you. Do whatever you want with it.” He quickly pushes past the alpha, head down as he hurries on his way home. 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong isn’t sure what to think when San shows up at his hut again a few days later. The blond smiles at him in greeting when he opens the door, and Hongjoong doesn’t even have a chance to ask if he needs anything when San says, “I need your help.” 

Hongjoong gulps but opens the door for San. It would be rude of him not to. “What is it you need?” he asks nervously when San steps into his hut once again. He tries not to fidget as San makes himself at home again.“Did you need another piece of jewelry?” he asks. He turns back to face San, horrified when he finds the omega sitting on the hard ground. 

With a squeak, he pulls at the same little cushion from before, insisting San sit on it. However, the blond not only refuses, but leaves Hongjoong speechless when he insists that the elder omega make himself comfortable on it instead. It doesn’t quite feel right to do such a thing to San, given his position and status, so Hongjoong ends up setting the cushion awkwardly between them. 

“I’d like for you to teach me how to make a necklace like yours,” San requests. 

Hongjoong nearly chokes on his own spit. “What?” 

“I’m afraid I’m not very good at this kind of thing, but I need to make one. That’s what the alpha I like would prefer.” 

Hongjoong looks down at his knees, curling his fingers over them as he ponders over San’s words. His heart twists in disappointment. They weren’t good enough just like he thought. “I’m not…” he tries to say, stuttering and struggling to get his words out. He doesn’t want to for a number of reasons. For one, he hardly has the time, struggling to make ends meet himself. “San, I’m not sure I’m the best person to be asking for this. I run a food stall.” 

“But you make those in your free time, don’t you?” 

“Sure, when I have time,” Hongjoong stresses the issue of time. “And those are for—anyways, my point is that there are professional jewelers in the village who you could ask for help. They’d be much more knowledgeable to me, and you’d be able to make something of much higher quality than I could.” 

“Your quality is fine,” San says firmly. Yunho had seemed intrigued by the necklace San previously presented him with. “Besides, I can’t ask anyone else. It has to be you.” 

Hongjoong sighs, shoulders slumping. “Is there any particular reason why it must be me?” he asks. 

“Because,” San pauses, “I need someone who will keep quiet about this thing.” 

The elder frowns at his explanation. “And you trust me to keep this a secret?” he questions. 

“I figure that you have no reason to tell anyone,” San carefully corrects. “The other people I could ask...they all like to talk with each other, you know? More than that they have more contact with people I’d rather keep in the dark about this whole thing.” People like his parents or his brother or the Captain. When he looks at Hongjoong with a hopeful expression, the older omega still seems reluctant to help. San can practically see the omega trying to come up with a reason to reject San. 

Then a thought occurs to the blond as he glances around the little hut Hongjoong calls home. Yunho said that some things are meaningless to people just struggling to get by, and, looking at the markings on Hongjoong’s face, San supposes that the elder might be one of those people. “I’ll compensate you for your time,” he offers. 

Hongjoong looks at him, seeming intrigued by San’s offer. “With what?” he asks hesitantly, afraid that he’s being rude about it. 

San scans the elder’s little hut again, wondering what he could use. “Anything,” he offers. “What do you need?” 

Hongjoong hesitates, biting down on his bottom lip, but San coaxes him for an answer. “It will get cold soon,” he finally says. “I’ve been busy trying to prepare for the winter, you know? Food, furs, firewood, that kind of thing.” 

“I can get you all those things.” 

The elder startles at the proposition, eyes wide in disbelief. “What? All those? There’s no way that’s worth it,” Hongjoong denies with a shake of his hands. Just one of those things would probably suffice. 

“I’ll get them,” San insists. “You’ll be well stocked for winter, so please, your help?” 

Hongjoong sighs but ultimately relents to the blond. It’s a hard deal to turn down. 

San comes to his place over the next few days, always bringing some of the items Hongjoong requests. The older omega had stared when the blond showed up the first day, leading an alpha into Hongjoong’s home and directing him to stock up the firewood. He’d come the day after that with some furs and the promise that he would make sure Hongjoong had plenty of food for the coming winter. In exchange, Hongjoong taught him what little he knew about making jewelry. 

It was kind of embarrassing in all honesty. This isn’t Hongjoong’s area of expertise after all. Nevertheless, San listens to all his instructions, heeds every piece of advice the elder gives him, and works tirelessly to make something he’s satisfied with. 

Hongjoong is admittedly awed by the younger’s dedication. “I admit that I’m surprised,” he comments when San shows him the necklace he made. It’s not dissimilar to the one he gifted to San previously, but this one is more refined, less amateurish, and San has added his own style to it, using two leather strings braided together to hold the pendant. “I didn’t think the Captain was so sentimental that he would like something made by you specifically. That’s quite sweet of him.” Hongjoong smiles at him while San’s expression drops. 

“This isn’t for the Captain,” San mutters, lowering the necklace to his lap. Captain would have been satisfied by anything expensive looking. Whether San made it for him personally or not wouldn’t mean anything to him. 

Hongjoong blinks at the younger omega. “It’s not?” he asks. 

San frowns, fingers tracing along the leather straps of the necklace. “No. I guess everyone really expects us to mate though, huh?” 

Hongjoong fidgets, unsure of how to respond to San. What was he supposed to say? He just assumed. “I’m sorry. I just thought—is he not who this is for? I thought you two liked each other. Everyone says that you’re meant to be. There is no better match.” 

Finally, San lifts his gaze up to look at Hongjoong, and there’s a sharpness to his gaze that puts the elder on edge. “Hongjoong,” San says his name so seriously that he finds himself taking a seat next to the younger omega, back straightened attentively. “I’m telling you this as a fellow omega. You should give up on the Captain.” 

Hongjoong’s heart flips in his chest, and his stomach twists into knots. He looks away in shame. “I know,” he says, voice barely above a whisper. He has no right. He has no status, no money, no power. He’s not even an alpha who can prove himself in The Chase. His crush on the Captain is inappropriate, and he knows that, but the fact that San knows is _horrifying_. “Please, don’t tell anyone. I swear I never would have acted on it. I know my place.” 

It would be considered a huge offense—not unlike Jongho’s own transgression—only it would be so much worse. Jongho simply acted uncouth all things considered because he could theoretically earn the right to court Wooyoung. And yet it had been enough to earn him a five year banishment. Hongjoong shudders at the thought of what would happen to him. Especially if San knows. 

Panicked, Hongjoong full on grovels. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes sincerely. “I’m so sorry, but I swear to you that I never would have done anything. It’s just a harmless crush, and I can’t help it. I know that you two are practically engaged—” 

“Hongjoong!” San says sharply, and the elder omega immediately quiets down. “Please, we are _not_ engaged. I don’t even _like_ him.” Still, Hongjoong holds his breath and waits for San to continue. “I’m not trying to threaten you. I can promise you that. Even disregarding status and whatnot, I would advise you against looking at him. He’s not the type of person who would treat you nicely.” 

Hongjoong lowers his head, nodding along to San’s words. “I know,” he admits. “I am an omega of much lower status—” 

“It’s not that!” San persists. “Let’s just assume that your rank doesn’t matter—no—we can even go one step further and hypothetically say that he likes you. The Captain is trying to court you, okay?” Hongjoong’s heart beats rapidly in his chest, and he tries his best not to get too lost in the fantasy San sets up for him. “I’d still tell you to give up on him,” San reiterates. 

Blinking in surprise, Hongjoong finally lifts his head up to look at San. “He’s not a good mate,” the young omega continues when he’s certain he has Hongjoong’s attention. “He cares only for his own status and power. He only views me as a pretty thing that will help him get what he wants. I don’t like him, this isn’t for him,” he looks down at the necklace in his hands, “and you shouldn’t like him. You can do better than him.” 

Hongjoong tries not to laugh at San’s advice because the reality is that Jongho is probably the best he would be able to pull in by way of a mate, and Hongjoong isn’t interested in him at all. Of course, Jongho doesn’t like him either, eyes set higher, but that is Hongjoong’s inherent problem. He’s essentially a nobody within the ranks of the village. He has nothing, and the likelihood of even having a mate is slim to say the least. What exactly is the harm in dreaming? 

“Then, if you don’t mind me asking, who is this for?” Hongjoong asks. This whole time he thought San had asked him for his work, for his help, to impress the Captain. So if not him than who? 

San smiles at him. “If you think that you’re in a rough spot because of your fancy for the Captain, just know I’d be in even more trouble than you.” Hongjoong’s eyebrows knit together at San’s rather cryptic response. “So let’s keep each other’s secrets, hm? I won’t say a word about you, so keep this a secret for me too.” 

Hongjoong nods his head, agreeing because he has no other choice. 

  
  
  
  


Jongho stops by his cabin only a few days after The Chase with the lumber he promised. Yunho unloads the lumber from the young alpha’s cart, already going through a mental list of all the little repairs he has to make. He doesn’t ask Jongho about the omega who visited him earlier that week on the night of their Chase. He doesn’t think much about that omega to be honest. 

“Thanks,” he says to Jongho once all his lumber is unloaded and accounted for. 

“No problem.” Jongho reaches for the handle of his cart, ready to go, and Yunho can’t help himself. 

“How did it go?” he asks. He already has a feeling that he knows the answer. If everything had gone well, and Jongho had finally gotten what he wanted, surely he would be over the moon right now and brag about it into Yunho’s ear, right? His silence is telling, but Yunho still hopes for the best. 

The sigh Jongho releases only puts the final nail in the coffin, and Yunho immediately regrets asking. “I failed. Again,” the young alpha admits. 

“I’m sorry,” Yunho apologizes although he isn’t sure why. Maybe for giving Jongho hope? 

“Don’t be. Honestly, what you taught me helped.” Yunho blinks, surprised that Jongho would say such a thing. “It helped a lot actually. Maybe I could have done it, but I don’t know. Maybe I’m just stupid or it’s not meant to be. I got thrown off by a second scent, and I couldn’t figure out who I was chasing after a while.” 

“Maybe it was another one of his tricks?” Yunho suggests. 

“Maybe,” Jongho agrees. “Probably.” 

Yunho pats the dejected alpha on the shoulder. “There’s always next year,” he encourages. That’s Jongho’s motto more or less, isn’t it? 

“At this rate maybe I’m just wasting my time doing this,” Jongho complains. “I don’t know about next year.” 

Yunho has nothing to say to that, so he watches wordlessly as Jongho picks up the handles of his cart and pulls it away, trudging back down the hill he had come from. Then he finally thinks about that omega. He had come to Yunho’s place on the day of The Chase and clearly wanted to avoid that alpha that had so aggressively engaged with Yunho. Had that also been a trick for the omega to use? It seemed to be completely against the rules, but that alpha said San was sly, liked to bend the rules.

The omega had said he wanted to talk to him though, even presented him with a gift, but after Yunho had turned him away he hadn’t seen or heard from him since. Perhaps it really had just been a part of his strategy then. 

He doesn’t see San for a while. He doesn’t expect to see the omega ever again really, but then the morning after the first snowfall in autumn, he finds an omega outside of his door, shivering from the cold. He’s dressed in a heavy coat and thick boots. He looks ready for the winter, and yet he’s shivering from the cold, his boots soaked through from the snow. 

Yunho gives him a once over, staring at the omega without inviting him inside. He doesn’t say anything for a moment. He doesn’t know what to say because he didn’t expect to see the omega again. “I’m freezing,” San announces when it’s clear Yunho isn’t going to say anything. “Aren’t you at least going to let me inside?” 

The question finally prompts Yunho into action, and the alpha steps aside to let him in. San scrambles inside, pulling his wet boots off before crawling over to Yunho’s empty fireplace. He’s still shivering, but he seems reluctant to take off the damp coats covering him. 

“What are you doing here so early in the morning?” 

San peeks at him from over his shoulders, eyes catching sight of some of Yunho’s furs. Without a word, San turns himself around to reach out and snatch one from the hooks. Yunho makes a little noise of alarm at his behavior although he finds he can’t do much more than stare at the way the omega burrows himself underneath the furs. 

“Hey,” he approaches the lump on his floor, reaching out to poke and prod at him. “Hey if you’re going to lie down like that you should take off your damp coats. You’ll only make yourself colder.” 

“I’m so cold though,” San complains, shivering as if to prove his point. 

“Take off your coats,” Yunho tells him. “I’ll make a fire for you.” 

San pokes his head out from the furs when the front door opens, and Yunho steps outside to collect some firewood. Throwing off the furs himself, San wiggles his way out of his coats and sets the damp clothing aside. Just as he situates himself back into the furs the door opens again, and Yunho comes in with an armful of firewood. San lifts up the furs enough that he can watch the alpha work. Within a few short minutes Yunho has a low fire going, and San immediately relaxes at the feel of warmth that hits him. 

“You took off your wet clothes?” the alpha asks, looking down at the pile of damp clothes next to the omega. “Are you warm yet?” 

“No, but I will be.” San scoots a little closer to the fire. He snuggles down, but while the furs may be comfortable and warm, the cold hardwood floor hardly is. 

As if Yunho can tell he asks, “Are you uncomfortable?” 

San lies still as he thinks about his answer. If he’s honest would it be offensive? Or would Yunho think he was just like a pampered princess? That’s unattractive, right? “I’m okay,” he lies through gritted back, pretending like he’s not already feeling an ache in his neck. 

Yunho huffs a small laugh at his antics before he gets up again. He leaves the omega in front of the fireplace, and San peeks out from beneath the blankets again to watch as the alpha retreats. Yunho returns a minute later with some pillows which he drops in front of the omega. San sits upright, looking up at the alpha curiously. 

“Have you eaten?” Yunho asks as he disappears into another room. San swoons. 

“Will you feed me if I say I haven’t?” the omega calls out. 

“Sure. I don’t want you to start complaining about hunger later.” 

San pouts at his response, certain that he’s being insulted. “I am hungry for the record,” he says loud enough for the alpha to hear. He left so early in the morning so that nobody could stop him. 

Yunho bangs around in the other room while San rearranges the pillows the alpha provided for him, doing his best to make a little makeshift bed on the floor in front of the fire. By the time he feels all set up and comfortable, lying down to rest, Yunho returns with two uneven little bowls. He sits down next to the omega, keeping quite a bit of distance between them before handing him one of the bowls. 

San sits back up, reaching out to take the bowl into his hands and staring down at it curiously. It’s nothing special. San is used to having rather elaborate meals. This is comparatively simple. “What is it?” he asks, stirring the contents of the bowl curiously. 

Yunho looks at him oddly. “You’ve never had porridge?” 

“No.” San lifts a spoonful up, watching with distaste at the goopy texture drips from his spoon. “Is it good?” he sniffs at it tentatively, but there’s not much of a smell. 

“It’s good,” Yunho says, already taking bites of his own food. “I even added boar meat and some eggs for you.” 

San frowns. Is that supposed to be some sort of treat? San’s used to those kinds of things already. “Boar meat?” he asks, spooning around for said meat. When he finds some, he finally takes a spoonful of the food. It is on the bland side, but it’s tastier than San would have thought. “Mmm,” he hums in delight, taking another bite. 

“I hunted it myself,” Yunho says, referring to the boar meat. 

“And the eggs? Do you raise chickens here too?” San’s never seen them, but he’s only been here one other time. 

“Trade Jongho for them if he has them and they’re fresh.” 

The omega looks around the cabin. It’s shabby and run down, but most everything looks hand crafted. Yunho is clearly self sufficient. “Do you make most things on your own?” he asks. 

Yunho is already scraping the bottom of his bowl with the spoon. San’s mildly impressed by his appetite. “Yeah. What I can, I mean. I hunt my own game. I make my own salve.” He shrugs his shoulders. 

“How do you trade with Jongho?” San asks, curious. 

“He gives me materials to keep this place running as best it can,” he motions around him. “I give him whatever he wants in exchange. Usually it’s meat. The good stuff that he says he can’t get in the village. Sometimes he asks for other shit.” 

San laughs a little at that. “Like what?” he asks, looking around the mess in Yunho’s cabin. He looks back over to the alpha, his smile vanishing at the look on Yunho’s face. Had he been offensive? San ducks his head down and takes a bite of his porridge.

Yunho lifts a finger to point towards San. “Mostly those,” he says. San blinks, staring at the finger Yunho points at him. He looks down at himself, taking in the furs he has draped over himself. “What, these?” he asks, motioning to the furs. 

“Do you not like them?” Yunho asks. 

“No!” San denies sharply, holding the furs up to his neck. They’re actually quite nicely made. Looking down, San admires the one he’s currently wearing. Little jewels line the border of it. It looks like it would be expensive if sold by the right person in the village. “How come Jongho trades you for these?” 

“There’s an omega that he likes. He thinks he can win him over with some nice furs.” 

San’s lips form into a small ‘o’ at Yunho’s explanation. Yeah, he knows plenty about that. “What about you?” he asks. “Do you also make them for an omega you fancy?” 

“I make them because they’re practical,” Yunho answers so bluntly that San can’t help but pout at his response. “There’s not much else to be done with the furs, and they’re useful. If not around here than at least for trading.” 

San moves one hand away from his bowl, now mostly empty, to trace along some of the jewels lining this one. It just doesn’t seem right. This one seems particularly special. San has a hard time believing that Yunho made this without _someone_ in mind. “I mean, there’s really no omega you’ve made a fur for?” 

“My mother.” 

The omega represses the urge to make a face, instead burying his face into the furs. To the Moon this alpha is infuriating. 

“I’ve never met another omega until you,” Yunho defends. 

Thoroughly annoyed now, San puffs out his chest and unloads on the alpha. “You know, speaking of which you were extremely rude to me the first time we met,” he complains. 

Yunho sputters at the accusation. “Rude?” he repeats. “I saved your life! I also stopped you from running head first into one of my traps.” 

San flounders for a moment. That is technically all true, but San isn’t quite ready to back down yet. “I could have avoided that trap,” he insists. “You did save me from the river. I acknowledge that, and I am grateful, but you also said I reeked!” It sounds a little ridiculous even to his own ears, and Yunho clearly thinks the same if the little smile on his lips means anything. 

“You don’t smell anything like what I’m used to,” the alpha says by way of explanation. 

“It doesn’t lessen the blow in the least bit,” San sniffs. 

“Is that really important?” Yunho asks. Sighing, San relents. It is admittedly petty, but San is still undeniably bothered by it. In that moment, it had been a blow to his pride, particularly coming from an Unmarked alpha. Now it just feels bad that Yunho doesn’t like his scent. The Captain always tells him how nice he smells, although admittedly it always gives him the creeps, so maybe San is just indecisive. “What are you doing all the way out here anyways? I figured I wouldn’t be seeing you again.”

San jolts at the reminder. “Oh, right,” he sets his bowl aside to reach out for his coats. He pulls out a small parcel from inside, carefully unwrapping it to reveal a wooden box. San hesitates for a moment. He had the idea to make the box last minute, and Hongjoong wasn’t as good with this type of thing either. The end product had been something less than professional, and San is a little self conscious about it. Still, he hands it over to Yunho who stares down at the box the omega extends to him. 

“What’s this?” Yunho asks, reluctant to accept it. 

San shoves it into his hands before quickly ducking back under his covers. “Last time you wouldn’t accept my gift because I didn’t make it myself, right?” 

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t accept it,” Yunho defends. “I said I would consider it a token from the omega who did make it.” 

“That’s practically the same thing,” San bites back. He nods towards the box in Yunho’s hand. “So take this one instead. I made it myself.” 

Yunho blinks at the box in his lap before looking at the omega. He admits that he’s impressed. He didn’t think the omega would actually do it or even take his words to heart. They were meant as a joke anyways. “Why?” Yunho asks. 

“I told you,” San mumbles from beneath the furs. “Omegas often do this to express their interest, and it’s customary for alphas to respond in kind by gifting furs to an omega.” 

Yunho knits his eyebrows together, fingers smoothing over the box in his lap. “I don’t understand,” he says after a moment. “Are you telling me because you want me to take this courting thing seriously or because you want something in return?” 

“Well,” San finally pokes his head out to look down at the alpha’s furs, “both. I guess.” Yunho huffs before handing the box back to San. The omega stares at it, mortified. “What?” he asks, shying away from the thing like it might bite him. 

“I don’t want it,” Yunho says. 

“You can’t give it back!” San protests, shoving it back into the alpha’s hands when he tries to give it to San. 

“Why not?” the alpha asks. 

“Because,” San says loudly before clearing his throat. There’s really no rule against returning such a gift. It was rude but also a very clear rejection. “Because you’ll seriously hurt my feelings,” the omega finally answers. Yunho cocks a brow at his explanation in a way that causes the omega to bristle. “I spent so much time and effort on that. Don’t you think it’s too much to try and give it back when you didn’t even look at it?” 

Yunho still tries to give it back to him. “I don’t want you to get the wrong impression though,” he says. “I’m not interested.” 

“You should still take it,” San insists. “Even if you’re not interested now. It’d be so rude after all that effort I put in.” 

Yunho finally gives up trying to give it back to San, placing it down on the floor between them. “You say that like I might like you eventually.” 

“You might,” San says with a little shrug. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll be gifting this to me soon too.” He smiles down at the fur in his lap. He likes these, but he’s not ready to ask Yunho for them. He doesn’t want to ask anyways; he wants the alpha to gift them to him freely. 

Instead the alpha scrambles to his feet, reaching down to snatch them away from San who flinches back at the action. “Not these,” the alpha swears. “Never these.” He turns around, stomping deeper into his cabin, leaving San sitting on his floor, absolutely stunned by his behavior. 

  
  
  
  


San can confidently say that he’s not exactly used to rejection. He’s used to alphas pining for him. He’s used to the Captain’s sleazy comments and compliments. He’s not used to Yunho—an alpha so blatantly uninterested in him. San can’t figure out what to do to capture the alpha’s interest. Whatever it is he’s doing seems to be working at least a little though because while Yunho still won’t even look at his necklace let alone wear it, he seems to have at least learned to tolerate the omega’s presence. 

San’s visits are sporadic at best, only able to come whenever he manages to slip away from the watchful eyes of his parents and brother, but over the winter he thinks they’ve cultivated what at least amounts to some kind of friendship. 

He almost thinks he may have finally cracked the alpha when Yunho finally sends him back home with a set of his furs. The winter months are already beginning to wane, and San has made no secret of his admiration for the alpha’s furs, always pouting when Yunho thanks him but never offers one up. It’s honestly a little annoying. Most alphas would trip over themselves to return San’s affection, but Yunho hardly acknowledges his. 

San has come with a few other trinkets in an effort to win the alpha over, but Yunho always tries to return the gifts before eventually accepting them if only because trying to return them seems like too much of a hassle. He never wears them though, and when San asks about them, Yunho tells them that he hasn’t looked at them yet. Any of them. 

It’s a blow to the omega’s pride until he reminds himself that Yunho is a bit uncultured for lack of a better term. He’s not trying to be rude, probably, this is just his way of being polite, maybe. San thinks it is at least. 

When Yunho offered to let him take home some of his furs, San swore he could probably leap over the moon. “Can I?” he asked, hugging the furs to his chest. “Seriously? You got really pissed the last time.” 

“Those furs were off limits,” Yunho answered. It doesn’t really clarify the alpha’s strong response to San, but the omega doesn’t push it, happy to have finally received something from Yunho in the first place. He buried his nose into the furs and didn’t press if he could consider this a courting gift. He’s pretty sure he knows the answer to that question, but he also doesn’t care. What it means to San who received it and what it means to Yunho who gifted it to him might be two different things, but to San it doesn’t matter. It’s just another step closer to his goal. 

When the first flowers of the spring bloom, San shoves a small box into Yunho’s hands. “Another one?” the alpha asks as he looks down at the gift. 

“This one is different,” San insists. 

“Oh? How so?” 

San motions to the box in his hand with a little wave of his hand. “If you open it you could find out,” he suggests, but Yunho doesn’t take his bait. 

“Well, I guess I’ll never know then.” San makes a face at him, pushing past the alpha to fall onto the makeshift mat he’s made on the floor that Yunho seems to have simply accepted as a part of his home decor now. “I don’t understand,” the alpha says as he approaches the San. 

“What?” the omega grumbles into his pillow. 

With a little sight, Yunho sits down next to the omega on the ground next to his makeshift bed. “Are you really serious about this?” 

San purses his lips at the alpha’s questions. “How many tokens have I given you at this point? I made each and every one of them too! Even my brother is starting to wonder who I’m making all these for.” 

“Why?” Yunho asks. “I don’t know that much since I grew up outside of the village, but even I know enough to know that you’re not supposed to like me. Isn’t that against one of your rules or something?” San smiles into his pillow. Oh, it’s so much worse than that. “You shouldn’t like me then, right? And it’s not as if I like you either.” 

San winces at Yunho’s words. “Thanks for that painful reminder,” he grumbles. “Most other alphas would kill for me to be giving them little gifts like this, you know!” 

“Then why don’t you go try to court one of them?” the alpha asks seriously. 

San grits his teeth together, finally sitting up. He grabs one of the pillows and shoves it into the alpha’s face, taking some satisfaction in the little grunt Yunho releases as he falls over. “I don’t like them,” he declares. “I don’t like them because none of them really view me as a person. I’m a high ranking omega. In theory I should be able to pick an amazing mate. I could have anyone.” Yunho blinks at his words, not so much because he thinks San isn’t pretentious but because he isn’t used to hearing the omega be so blatantly egotistic. “That’s what people always tell me at least,” the omega adds in a softer voice. “It doesn’t really feel that way though.” 

Yunho tilts his head to the side, studying the omega for a moment. He observes the way San curls around his knees, holding them tight to his chest, his shoulders slumping forward. The omega isn’t usually so dejected, even when Yunho inevitably turns down yet another gift. “All anybody thinks I’m really good for is just mating a good alpha. My parents, even some of my friends, just kind of expect me to mate an alpha of good standing. My brother is the only one who gives me some leniency, but even he caves to our parents from time to time, tries to convince me to just mate with the Captain already since there are no other alphas ‘good enough’ for me.” 

“So what?” Yunho asks, setting the box San gave him to the side. “I’m just the ultimate rebellion to that idea? You like me because I’m an Unmarked alpha?” 

“I do,” San says. “I do like you because you’re Unmarked. You don’t treat me the way most alphas do, but you’re still a better alpha than most.” 

Yunho smiles, oddly pleased by San’s explanation. He’d been a little insulted at first, but San’s clarification had been more than satisfying. “And here I thought the way I treated you infuriates you,” the alpha comments. 

“It does,” San agrees. “Because I want you to like me, but I appreciate that you don’t just kiss my ass because of my status. I like that we can at least act like we’re equals.” 

Yunho’s mood plunges a bit at that remark, and he stares down at the box the omega gave to him. “But we’re not. Equals, I mean,” he points out. He turns his head to look at the omega who stares back at him. “Look at us. Just the fact that you wear those ridiculous markings on your face and I don’t is proof of that, don’t you think?” 

San blinks at him, speechless. He’s not wrong of course. The marks San wears on his face _are_ proof that they’re unequal. It’s not even a case of San simply bearing higher status through his marks. It’s the fact that Yunho wears none. He’s not allowed to. 

“Let me do it for you then,” the omega suggests. 

Yunho raises his eyebrows. “Do what?” he asks, watching with growing alarm as San quickly scrambles to his feet. “Where are you going? What are you doing?” the alpha asks as the omega disappears around the corner. 

San returns only moments later with a small bowl in one hand, the other digging into it. Yunho furrows his brows together, releasing a small cry when San kneels down next to him and he can see that the omega has destroyed a small batch of perfectly good berries. “What are you doing?” he asks just as San reaches out and smears some of the red juice against Yunho’s forehead. 

The alpha is so shocked he freezes up entirely. The berry juice against his skin is surprisingly cool, but San’s touch is warm. On the other hand, San stares at the line he drew across Yunho’s forehead, lips parted a little in shock before he struggles to suppress a laugh. It’s tragically translucent, but still pigmented enough to just barely show up on the alpha’s skin. 

“What are you doing?” Yunho repeats in a softer tone this time. 

“I’m giving you the proper Marks,” San tells him. “Will you let me?” 

“Proper Marks?” Yunho repeats, equal parts confused and skeptically. 

San only hums in acknowledgement, dipping his fingers back into the fruit juice before he reaches out to smear more of it along the alpha’s skin. Yunho tries to flinch away from him but doesn’t put up much of a fight past that. He merely squeezes his eyes shut and scrunches his face up, allowing the omega to paint his face as he pleases. 

When he’s finished, San pulls away and sets the bowl aside. “It’s a little hard to see because it’s not the real paint we use but,” he reaches for a small mirror and holds it out for Yunho to look at. 

The alpha takes it from him, turning it this way and that to examine San’s work, but it ultimately means nothing to him. “What kinds of marks are these?” he asks. 

“They’re the kind of marks you would bear if you were an alpha my family would actually approve of,” San says with a tight smile. 

Yunho hums thoughtfully, eyes settling on his forehead. He points to it, staring at himself in the mirror for a moment before he looks up at San instead. “Jongho has an X mark here,” he points out. 

“Oh. That’s…” San hesitates. 

“A sign that he was banished at some point, right?” Yunho finishes for him. San tentatively nods his head in confirmation. “Shouldn’t I have one too then?” The omega sucks in a sharp breath. “Or we could just stop pretending,” Yunho reaches up to wipe away the tint of fruit juice on his skin only for San to grab him by the wrist to stop him. 

“Don’t,” the omega begs him. “Let me pretend.” 

Yunho sighs at the request, allowing San to pull his hand away. “Fine,” he agrees, “then allow me to pretend too.” 

The omega blinks at the request, watching as the alpha gets to his feet, disappearing the opposite way that San had gone. He returns just moments later with a damp rag in hand that immediately puts San on edge. “What are you doing with that?” he asks, eyeing the rag suspiciously. 

With a smile Yunho sits down in front of San. “You want to pretend that I’m an alpha with enough status and rank that your family would approve, right?” he asks. “So let me pretend that you’re like me. Unmarked.” He reaches out with the damp rag, pausing when San predictably flinches away from him. “You can’t handle it?” 

“I—” San hesitates. “These marks mean everything to me,” he tries to explain. They were a sign of his status, his importance. He’d been wearing them ever since he was a child, and not having them was a sign of disgrace. His mother had scolded him severely the day he had fallen into the river and the water had washed off most of it. She said he looked terrible, that he looked beneath his rank. 

“They don’t mean anything to me, though,” Yunho points out. San parts his lips but finds that he doesn’t have anything to say in response to that. “They don’t mean anything out here. I was born Unmarked, and my mother told me that I would never have the opportunity to ever be Marked, so what do you think these mean to me?” He points to his face and the makeshift Marks San had given to him. 

San stares down at his lap, feeling ashamed of himself. Nothing. That’s the answer. San might look at those translucent marks on Yunho’s face and fawn over the fantasy of it all, but to the alpha they don't mean anything. “Okay,” he relents, lifting his head up and squaring his shoulders to prepare himself. 

Yunho cocks his head to the side. “Okay?” he repeats. 

The omega nods his head and motions to his face. “You can wipe them off,” he explains. 

Yunho actually hesitates now even though San had just given his express permission for the alpha to remove his markings. “Are you sure?” he asks. Despite holding the rag in his hand and his readiness to remove them, he didn’t actually think San would allow him to, so he hadn’t actually prepared himself to do it. “Won’t you get in trouble when you go home?” 

The omega audibly swallows but tries to shrug his shoulders to appear nonchalantly. “I won’t tell them what actually happened. I can just lie and say that I fell into another river or something,” he says. “A less dangerous one. Not because I’m ashamed or anything!” He quickly adds the last part, worried that Yunho might interpret his words in the wrong way again. “Just because I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble or anything.”

Yunho observes him quietly for a moment, rag still lifted up and poised to wipe away the omega’s marks. He weighs whether or not he really wants to do it for a moment. He never expected to get past the omega’s pride for his Marks. Jongho was similar in a way. The young alpha was always so prideful when it came to his Marks even if he wasn’t high on the village’s social ladder. The time he first spent as an Unmarked had seemed unbearably painful for him, and he’d been eager to wear them again the second his punishment was over. 

He doesn’t understand it; he’ll never understand why those stupid Marks mean so much to them, but he knows they do. He figured San would refuse him. However, he doesn’t really want to get the omega in trouble either, so he sets the rag aside and smiles at the omega. “Don’t worry. It was just a joke,” he waves it off. 

San blinks his eyes open in surprise. “What?” he asks, looking down at the rag. 

“You don’t have to,” Yunho clarifies. “I didn’t think you’d let me. I just wanted to push you a little.” He pushes the rags further away from himself. Taking a deep breath, he meets the omega’s eyes. “I know how important those Marks are to you.” 

San releases his breath, shoulders relaxing as he briefly glances over to the rag before meeting Yunho’s eyes again. “They are important, but it’s okay,” the omega insists, reaching across Yunho’s lap to grab the rag. The alpha watches as he brings the damp cloth up to his face and begins scrubbing at it furiously. He tries to assure the omega again that it’s fine, but San just says, “It’s okay. This way we’re equal, right?” 

When he lowers the cloth from his face, it’s mostly clear. There are still little flecks of paint left over, and his face is a bit red from all the scrubbing, but it’s clear. Just like that time at the river, Yunho’s breath stalls as he stares at the omega’s face. Looking at him now, Yunho can’t understand the point of the Markings. They’re considered a sign of beauty and status, but the omega has such a pretty face without the marks to detract from it. 

Reaching for the mirror San used for him, Yunho lifts it up for the omega to see. “What do you think?” he asks.

San only briefly looks at himself before turning his gaze away. Yunho doesn’t miss the way he avoids looking at himself. “You don’t like it,” he observes. “Because you feel less than without the marks?” 

“Maybe it’s stupid to you, but to me—” 

“I don’t think it’s stupid,” Yunho interjects before San can finish. “I may not understand, but I know those mean a lot to you and your people. Jongho taught me that at the very least.” San sighs, relaxing a little as he struggles to meet his own gaze in the mirror again. It’s hard, though. He doesn’t like what he sees. “If it means anything, I think you look pretty,” Yunho tells him. 

San looks past the mirror to look at the alpha, expression filled with shock. “Pretty?” he repeats. “You think I look pretty?” 

“Are you upset?” Yunho asks with a smile. “I know the Marks mean everything to you, but to me you just cover your face up with them. Like this I can actually see what you look like, and you’re pretty.” 

“Am I?” San grabs the mirror from his hands, holding it close as he inspects himself from every angle. He still doesn’t really like what he sees, but it doesn’t bother him so much that he has to look away anymore either. “I feel naked without them, though.” 

Yunho laughs at that. “Well, you don’t have to take them off again if you don’t want to.” He reaches out for the mirror only to flinch back when San suddenly lowers it into his lap. 

“I’ll think about it,” the omega declares. “I mean, it’s okay to not wear them out here, right?” 

Yunho hesitates before nodding his head in agreement. “What about when you go home though?” 

San shakes his head. “I’ll figure that out,” he says with a little wave of his hand. “It’s worth it though if you tell me that I’m pretty.” He smiles at the alpha who turns his gaze away. 

San’s parents do, in fact, scold him when he returns home that day. They tighten the security around him, but San still manages to find ways to sneak away. The next time he’s able to visit Yunho, he brings an extra pot of his white paint to put his markings back on. If he hesitates when he first removes his Marks, Yunho is polite enough not to comment. 

The alpha is sure to compliment him when he does finally remove the markings though, and San bathes in his kind words which feel much more genuine than the sleazy compliments the Captain usually levels in his direction. And if the omega spies his necklace—the first one he’d made for the alpha—hanging around Yunho’s neck, he wisely chooses to keep his lips sealed. 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong doesn’t see the village head’s son much these days. Since San has grown confident in his jewelry making skills, he’s sought out Hongjoong’s help out less and less. On the rare occasions that they do run into each other, the blond is always friendly, seeming to make it a point to ask if the older omega needs anything to which Hongjoong always denies. 

Then, one morning, Hongjoong just barely steps out of his little hut when San grabs him by the shoulders and drags him back inside. The elder yelps, nearly tripping over his own feet, and he holds onto San to keep his balance. 

“Sorry,” the blond apologizes once he has Hongjoong in the privacy of his hut. “I’m so sorry, but could you do me a favor?” 

Hongjoong stares at him. “What favor?” 

“I need your help,” San says with an apologetic smile. “I think Wooyoung will kill me if I ask him. I think I’ve put him on my parents’ shit list.” 

Hongjoong gulps at his words, suddenly worried about what San wants from him. “Um…” 

“It’s nothing bad!” San assures him. “Just, can you distract my brother for me?” 

Hongjoong blanches. “Your brother? Distract? How?” 

“Anything works,” San tells him, peeking his head out the door to look around. “You could ask him for directions or compliment him as the future head of the village. Seonghwa is easily distracted.” 

Hongjoong furrows his eyebrows together as he follows the blond out. He doesn’t personally know Seonghwa by any means, only familiar with him as a public figure, and “easily distracted” is not a way he’d describe the alpha. He means to ask San why he even needs to distract his brother, but isn’t afforded the opportunity before they’re cut off by a big, burly alpha. Hongjoong instinctively shrinks away from him while San turns to try a different direction only to be greeted by his brother. 

“San,” Seonghwa says, bringing the omega to a stuttered halt. 

“Seonghwa,” San returns his greeting nervously. Damn, his brother found him a lot faster than he anticipated. “What are you doing here?” 

“Chasing you down before you cause trouble, what else have I been doing lately?” Seonghwa sighs. 

San pouts at his answer. “Oh, come on. I’m not causing any trouble.” 

“You keep disappearing on Mother. You’re going to drive her into an early grave from worrying about you so much,” Seonghwa scolds him. 

The omega dismisses his words with a wave of his hands. “You’re being dramatic,” he defends. “She’s just overprotective. I’m not doing anything _dangerous_.” 

“Then what are you doing?” Seonghwa asks pointedly. 

Humming, San turns his head away from him. “Oh, you know me. I just like to wander.” 

Seonghwa crosses his arms over his chest and tilts his head at his brother. “You’re not a child anymore, San. When are you going to learn to settle down?” 

San frowns at the alpha. He knows Seonghwa isn’t necessarily saying anything specifically to him the way their Mother would be, pleading for her youngest son to just settle down and mate with the Captain, but he also knows what Seonghwa is doing here in the first place. “No, I’m not doing it,” he says, folding his arms over his chest and turning his nose up at the thought. 

“San, just entertain him,” Seonghwa begs. “We’re not asking you to mate right at this moment, but—” He trails off, attention diverting to the omega behind his brother who tries to shrink back behind the blond. The alpha narrows his eyes at the unfamiliar omega. “Who’s this?” he asks, nodding towards Hongjoong. 

The omega freezes at the question, eyes filled with panic when San turns to look at him. To his dismay, San actually pulls him forward, bringing Hongjoong even further into the spotlight. He tries to shrink back under Seonghwa’s stare, but he doesn’t have anywhere to run between the two brothers. 

“This is Hongjoong. He’s a good friend of mine,” San introduces, eagerly shoving Hongjoong forward towards Seonghwa. The omega gets the distinct feeling that the blond would like him to create some sort of distraction or scene at this point, but Hongjoong doesn’t quite have it in himself. Not in front of Seonghwa like this. 

The alpha gives Hongjoong a quick once over before his eyes settle on the omega’s face, taking in his Marks. Hongjoong’s instinct is to try and turn his head away, down, anything to hide his Marks from Seonghwa’s questioning gaze, but that would be considered rude and improper. It would go against the entire point of them in the first place—to make easily clear of someone’s place comparatively. So he forces himself to keep his chin up although he avoids the alpha’s gaze overall. 

“Your friend?” Seonghwa questions after a moment. Hongjoong winces. There’s nothing necessarily prohibiting San from befriending omegas of a lower caste, but Hongjoong would definitely be questionable. 

San hums, fingers digging into Hongjoong’s shoulders. “He taught me how to make some of that jewelry I made, so I consider him my friend.” 

“I see.” 

Hongjoong peeks up at the alpha, eyes almost immediately zeroing in on a silver pendant hanging against the alpha’s throat, and he tenses up. That’s his necklace. The one he gave to San. What the hell was his brother doing with it? “Where did you get that?” he blurts out, motioning to the alpha’s neck. 

Seonghwa blinks at him, and the omega quickly looks down. He shouldn’t have spoken out of turn like that. The alpha doesn’t reprimand him for the question, however, reaching up to figure out what Hongjoong is talking about. His fingers touch the cool metal of the pendant San had given to him so long ago. “Oh, San told me it was from a secret admirer of mine.” 

Hongjoong nods his head, trying not to seem too suspicious as he turns his head to level San with a questioning look. The blond avoids his gaze but agrees with his brother. “Yeah, it’s from his secret admirer.” 

“One of many I would assume,” Hongjoong remarks quietly.

Thankfully, Seonghwa quickly turns his attention back to his brother. “San, will you not at least do this to appease Mom?” 

The blond pouts, and Hongjoong takes a few steps away from the alpha, lowering his gaze to the ground. He’s not sure what they’re discussing, but he doesn’t dare to ask. “I thought you were on my side,” San says, looking to guilt his brother. 

Seonghwa sighs, clearly exacerbated by the omega. “I’m not your enemy,” he tells his brother. “I’m not asking you to mate him, but would it kill you to go on the date with the Captain? At least to appease Mom?” 

Hongjoong bites down on his lip, trying to clamp down on his jealousy. The Captain, huh? 

“I don’t want to,” San adamantly protests. 

“San—” 

“I don’t like him.” 

“Then who are you making all this jewelry for?” Seonghwa points out. San goes tight lipped at that, fingers digging into his shirt. “I mean, you say it’s not for the Captain, but who else is there?” He turns his attention to Hongjoong who shrinks down on himself. “Do you know?” 

Hongjoong glances over to San who stares back at him pointedly. “No,” he answers. It’s not like it’s untrue. He knows that San’s gifts weren’t for the Captain. He knows that whoever it is for is someone San would likely be punished for. He knows that the blond wants to keep the person a secret. Who that alpha is exactly, though, he doesn’t know. “I figured it was for the Captain to be honest,” he adds. 

It covers San’s ass but also lends credence to Seonghwa’s point anyways, and the alpha looks at his brother pointedly. “See? Who else am I supposed to believe it’s for? Will one outing with him kill you?” 

“It won’t kill me, but it will give him the wrong idea,” San complains, stomping his foot against the ground petulantly. “And then what? He’s already unbearable, Seonghwa.” 

The alpha presses his lips together in a thin line, linking his hands together. “If you want Mom to lay off of you and,” he looks over at Hongjoong pointedly, “everyone else, you can do what’s expected of you or you can mate with this alpha you clearly like.” 

Hongjoong swallows thickly at his words while San perks up at the suggestion for the briefest of moments before he quickly becomes subdued again. Oh, if only it were that easy. Just mate with Yunho. Sounds easy enough of paper, but barring the fact that his family—even Seonghwa—would definitely disapprove. He’s still kind of working on the whole courting Yunho thing anyways. 

“Right, I’m working on that,” he says. 

“Then at least tell me who it is,” Seonghwa pleads. 

“Can’t,” San squeaks out nervously. “It’s a secret.” His brother looks unimpressed by his answer, so San sighs in defeat. “Fine. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to go on one outing. But just one. To get Mom off our backs.” 

Seonghwa smiles at him. “Thank you.” 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong doesn’t really understand San’s dislike of the Captain. He’s a respectable man of high standing, handsome and certainly a good mate. Hongjoong would have jumped at the opportunity to court the Captain personally, and he might have even tried if he were an omega of higher standing. However, all things considered, he knows that he should keep his head down and quash those feelings. 

Unfortunately, San makes this task quite a bit more difficult than it needs to be. Hongjoong doesn’t know what to make of the younger omega when he shows up at his food stall a day later with Captain in tow. Is it a favor for Hongjoong? Because San knows that he likes him. Is it some kind of punishment? Because Hongjoong likes an alpha so obviously out of his league. Or is San trying to prove a point? Teach him a lesson. 

Hongjoong still remembers the blond’s words after all. How could he forget them? San warned him that the Captain wasn’t the type of person he wanted to like. He never really elaborated on what he meant beyond that, but Hongjoong has his doubts. 

The blond smiles at him as he walks up to his little food stall, requesting two bowls of noodles. Hongjoong’s gaze inevitably travels over to the Captain. The man has his nose turned up in annoyance, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else but here. The omega can’t say that he blames him or that he’s even necessarily surprised. This isn’t exactly a place he ever imagined someone like Captain or San coming to. Nevertheless, Hongjoong tips his head forward and advises them to take a seat anywhere they would like. 

He thinks he starts to understand what San means when he says that Hongjoong shouldn’t like the Captain when he brings two bowls of noodles over for them. They’re engaged in a rather heated conversation when Hongjoong approaches the wooden bench and table they’ve set themselves up at, and it’s only as he comes closer that he pauses, their words finally registering in his brain. 

“Would you stop being a snob?” San snaps at the Captain. “Some of the best food can be found in this market.” 

“Look at everyone around us though,” Captain responds, warily eyeing the other patrons and vendors. Hongjoong doesn’t need to look around to know what he’s seeing. All sorts of people from a lower caste. People he’d probably never give a second glance to in all honesty. Hongjoong burns with shame.

Wordlessly, he places the bowls down before both of them and gives them a short bow. Before he can make his escape, however, Captain begins complaining about his food. “What is this?” he complains, eyeing the contents of the bowl before he even tries it. Hongjoong hesitates, unsure if he’s actually being addressed or not. “Is this edible?” he asks, looking at Hongjoong this time. 

The omega blinks at him in shock. “I—yes. Of course it is.” What kind of silly question is that? “This is a food market,” he adds. 

“It doesn’t look good,” Captain complains, nudging the bowl further away from himself. “Can you not make something more appetizing?” 

“You didn’t even try it,” San scolds him. “Just eat your food.” 

Sighing, the Captain pushes the bowl further to the side of the table so he can lean his elbows over the table top. “I was hoping that when you agreed to an outing with me that we could go somewhere nicer,” he says. “We could have gotten a more elaborate meal.” 

“I was hungry, and you said we could go wherever I wanted to go,” San points out, slurping up some of the noodles. 

“I didn’t expect you would pick a place like this,” the Captain complains. 

San narrows his eyes at the man and presses his lips together in a thin line. “What’s wrong with a place like this?” 

The Captain tilts his head to the side with a small sigh like San is a conundrum he just can’t figure out. “San,” he says the omega’s name like he’s speaking to a child. “This place is beneath us, and we both know it.” He nods towards Hongjoong, completely oblivious or unbothered by the fact that the omega could clearly see the gesture. “Look at his Marks. Look at the Marks they all bear.” 

Hongjoong finds himself awkwardly standing by as the Captain berates him for his Marks because he hadn’t been sure if he was dismissed yet or not. He stands there, face burning with shame as he forces himself to quietly endure the verbal abuse. 

San sets his silverware down with a sharp, audible bang, his lips pressed in a tight line. “What are you saying? This is my friend,” he motions to Hongjoong to prove his point, but the action only mortifies the lowborn omega who shies away at the bold statement. 

“I can get you something else,” Hongjoong offers, desperate to please the alpha but also wanting to escape the seemingly limitless criticism he levels at the omega. He reaches for the bowl at the same time that the Captain pushes it towards him as well although he pushes with enough force that when it makes contact with the back of Hongjoong’s hand the whole thing flips, spilling noodles and broth all over Hongjoong’s hand and the table. 

The omega hisses in pain, quickly pulling his hand back while San makes a small noise of alarm, standing up from his seat. “Are you okay?” the blond asks. He reaches for Hongjoong who shies away from him. 

Initially the Captain seems stunned by the turn of events, looking down at the mess on the table, but he quickly rears on the omega he apparently feels is at fault. “Look what you did,” he accuses, pointing at the mess on the table. 

Grimacing, Hongjoong apologizes repeatedly as he scrambles to flip the bowl over, trying to scrape the noodles and excess broth back into the bowl. “It wasn’t his fault,” San snaps at him, helping Hongjoong clean up the mess. When the Captain notices, he grabs San by the wrist to stop him. 

“What are you doing?” he demands. 

Lips curling up in distaste, San yanks his hand away. “Helping,” he says curtly. 

“San,” Captain hisses, eyes darting around to see if anyone is looking. They have drawn attention to themselves, but San hardly pays it any mind while the Captain tries to clamp down on his own second hand shame. “Don’t. You look shameful.” 

The blond doesn’t respond to him right away. He helps finish cleaning up the wasted food before he finally turns back to the man. “Even if I look shameful, you look like a prick,” he snaps back. The Captain sputters at that accusation, even more offended when San helps lead the lowly omega back towards his food stall. 

“I’m fine,” Hongjoong says, trying to push San away. San isn’t having it though, and he gently takes a hold Hongjoong’s hand. It’s red and irritated, clearly burned by the hot broth. He hisses and whines when San’s warm fingers brush over his burned skin. “I’m fine,” he repeats, weakly attempting to pull his hand away from San. 

“You’re hurt,” the blond points out. 

“It was just some hot soup,” Hongjoong dismisses. 

Frowning, San tightens his grip on Hongjoong’s hand, raising his eyebrows when the elder visibly winces and whimpers. His fingers twitch in pain. “We should get you some salve,” San suggests. 

“You don’t need to do that.” But San is already pulling him away from his food stall while Hongjoong makes little noises of protest. He still needs to be here. He has a business to run, but San pays his resistance no attention. 

“We’ll go to my place,” San says. “I have some salve that should help.” 

Hongjoong tilts his head down but doesn’t protest any further. It’s not like fighting would really do him any good. If he’s learned anything these past few months it’s that there’s no point in fighting San over something like this. The omega would just force it anyways. 

“Are you okay?” he asks Hongjoong once they’re in the privacy of his home. 

“I told you I was fine,” Hongjoong sighs although he still cradles his hand. 

“But are you okay?” San presses. 

Hongjoong hesitates. Is it worth lying? Probably not when he’s so clearly hurt, and San knows it. “It hurts,” he finally admits, “but it’s not so bad.” 

“And besides your hand?” San prompts. “Are you okay?” 

Hongjoong sucks in a breath, lifting his gaze up to meet San’s. The blond’s gaze is sympathetic, but Hongjoong feels suspicious of it nevertheless. “It’s not anything I wasn’t expecting,” he says carefully. “I know that I don’t have a high rank.” 

“That doesn’t mean the way he treated you was okay,” San argues. 

“He’s probably not use to it. He’s probably never interacted with people like me,” Hongjoong says. He says it partly to rationalize the whole situation, but mostly he acknowledges that it’s a defense of the Captain. It’s an excuse for his behavior. Then he turns to glower at the blond omega. “Why did you bring him there?” 

“I wanted to go there,” San answers. “I didn’t expect him to act like a barbarian in public.” 

“He wasn’t—” 

“Hongjoong,” San cuts in. He waits until the older man looks at him before he says, “Stop trying to excuse his behavior. It has nothing to do with you or your status. He’s just a shallow person.” 

Biting down on the inside of his cheeks, Hongjoong looks down at his hand. It’s still bright red and irritated. He wants to rub it to soothe away the pain but refrains himself because he knows it won’t help. “Is that how he treats you?” he asks curiously. 

“Not as harshly,” San admits, sifting through his belongings in search of some salve, “but just as callously, yes. The only person he even considers to be above him is my brother and even then...” San’s expression darkens at the thought. The Captain is careful with his words and attitude around San, of course, but the omega isn’t an idiot. The respect for Seonghwa is only there as a formality. He doesn’t actually believe in it in the least bit. “Everyone else, omegas, those of a lower social rank, they’re nothing to him. Where is that damn thing?” San mutters, running his fingers through his hair as he tries to recall the last time he used the salve. 

The door to his room suddenly opens, and both omegas jump—San because he’s startled, and Hongjoong because he’s scared. Seonghwa stands at his doorway, and San immediately breathes a sigh of relief. Hongjoong quickly bends forward into a bow, hands tucked against his stomach. 

“I heard you talking to someone,” Seonghwa says as his gaze strays over to Hongjoong. “Your jewelry teacher again?” Hongjoong straightens up at the title, blinking at the alpha in surprise. 

“You heard me talking to someone so that gave you the right to just barge into my room?” San asks. 

Seonghwa looks at his brother, cocking an eyebrow at him. “Has he replaced Wooyoung as your new best friend or something?” 

“No,” San emphatically answers, wrapping his arms around Hongjoong. “I just have a soft spot for him. I’m just helping him out.” 

“With what?” 

“He hurt his hand. I was just going to put some salve on it for him,” San explains although he’s still unsure of where to find the damn jar of that thing.. “Speaking of which, do you know where it is? I can’t find it anywhere.” 

“That’s because we’re out,” Seonghwa tells him. 

San blinks, swiveling his head to stare at his brother. “We’re what?” he asks. 

“We’re out. Father used up the last of it because of the last hunt,” Seonghwa tells him. “He was injured.” 

The younger brother sighs. “Then I suppose we’ll just have to go to the market to procure some more—” 

“There’s been a shortage,” Seonghwa cuts in. “Even we’re having a difficult time getting another batch.” 

“Since when?” San sputters. That’s never been a problem, least of all for them. 

His brother shakes his head, disappointed by San’s lack of awareness. “Weren’t you aware? The harvest for the medicinal plants haven’t been very good this year. They seemed to have been ravaged by some kind of disease.” 

“It’s fine,” Hongjoong finally butts in, cradling his burned hand to his chest. He smiles at San, genuinely grateful for his concern and help, but it really isn’t that big of a deal. “It’s not like my life is in danger. If the supply of medicinal salve is limited, I, for one, am not in desperate need of it.” 

San frowns and feels a little ashamed for not being able to help the omega despite his promise. “But your hand,” he says, gaze traveling down to Hongjoong’s injury. 

“What happened?” Seonghwa asks. 

“It’s nothing,” Hongjoong insists, covering up the redness on his hand with his palm. He digs his teeth into his bottom lip to hold back a pained whimper at the feeling. The back of his hand throbs from both the pain and heat, neither of which is helped by his warm palm. 

“The Captain spilled soup all over him, and he burned his hand,” San answers in more detail. 

Seonghwa purses his lips together. “The Captain did?” he asks. 

“It was an accident,” Hongjoong adds. 

“Yeah, and he didn’t apologize,” San shoots back, glaring at the other omega. “He blamed Hongjoong too.” 

Sighing, Seonghwa pinches the bridge of his nose. “When I asked you to go on an outing with him, I wasn’t expecting him to cause any trouble,” he laments. 

“I told you he was like that!” San complains. 

“I never said you were wrong,” Seonghwa defends. “I was simply hoping you would keep him in check.” The brothers share a meaningful look with each other that Hongjoong can’t decipher, so he keeps quiet, wondering what the implication behind their words is. He startles when Seonghwa turns his attention to him, holding out a hand silently in request. “Let me see,” he says when Hongjoong stays put. 

Reluctantly, Hongjoong places his injured hand in Seonghwa’s, shooting San a look. The alpha turns his hand over, careful not to irritate his injury. “It’s not serious,” Seonghwa concludes after examining the injury. Hongjoong looks pointedly at San until the older brother adds, “You should still treat it soon though, or it could be worse.” 

“That’s why we need salve,” San says. 

Seonghwa sighs. “I wish I could help you with that, but it’s like I said. It’s hard to come by these days.” 

Crossing his arms over his chest, San thinks about it for a moment. He feels bad about it because he really only brought the Captain there because he knew it would piss the man off. Upsetting Hongjoong, injuring him, that hadn’t really been a part of the plan, and San feels a little responsible for what he did. He brightens up when he thinks of something. 

“I know where we can get some,” he announces. 

Seonghwa tilts his head. “Where?” 

“We have to go a little outside of the village though, so don’t get mad at me and don’t stop us,” San requests in a rush, grabbing Hongjoong by his uninjured hand, already pulling the omega out of the house. 

“Wait, let me accompany you in that case,” Seonghwa calls out for him. 

“No! We’ll be fine,” San calls out. “Just promise that you won’t tell on me! It’s for a good reason this time.” 

  
  
  
  


San hesitates almost as soon as they’re outside the bounds of the village, dropping his hold on Hongjoong’s hand as he fidgets. Hongjoong picks up on it, and he digs his toes into the dirt pathway. “Do you know where we’re going?” he asks, looking around with some apprehension. He’s rarely stepped outside the village, and he’s never gone beyond the outer borders before.

“Yeah.” San wrings his hands together, looking back towards the village for a moment. “It’s outside, but it’s not far.” 

“Oh.” Hongjoong lets out a deep breath as stares off in the direction San is looking. “Do you know a place where the medicinal plants grow?” 

“No. I just know someone who definitely has some.” 

Hongjoong balks at the claim. “You know someone? Out there?” He points towards the hill San has been staring at. 

Squaring his shoulders, San resolves himself to bringing Hongjoong along. Yunho probably wouldn’t be that angry with him, right? Probably. He thinks. He hopes. “Don’t worry. It’s not too bad of a hike,” he assures Hongjoong as he heads down the familiar path towards Yunho’s cabin. 

The elder hesitates before trailing after the blond. 

The hike is actually a lot worse than San gives it credit. Hongjoong is soon out of breath climbing up the hill although he’s rather used to long, arduous days of hard labor. It doesn’t help that he doesn’t exactly know where he’s going, who they’re meeting, or how far away it is. Maybe that’s why half way up the hill, Hongjoong decides to point out something that’s been bothering him.

“Seonghwa’s wearing my pendant,” Hongjoong points out. 

San laughs nervously, a little out of breath from the incline of the little foothill. No matter how many times he’s walked it, he still gets winded from the trek. “I meant to return it,” he explains. “Truly. I did, but I ran into Seonghwa before I could find you, and he asked about it, and I was still kind of upset because I had been rejected by Yunho because I hadn’t made it, so I lied and said that I was delivering it to him. On behalf of an omega who’s been secretly admiring him.” 

Hongjoong trips over rock, throwing his hands out to catch his fall. “You told him it was from an admirer?” he practically shrieks once San’s words fully sink into his brain. 

“I mean, it’s not like he thinks it’s you,” San defends. Seonghwa prodded him about it a few times since San gave him the necklace, but he’s been consistently vague about it. He’s almost entirely convinced that his brother doesn’t actually believe that an omega is secretly interested in him, but he still wears the thing with pride. San knows that omegas have not generally been interested in his brother. Truthfully, he isn’t sure why, although in all fairness Seonghwa has never been expressly interested in an omega before either. 

“But if he finds out it’s one of mine?” Hongjoong challenges. “What else would he think in that case?” 

San waves off the concern even though it’s definitely a thought that has crossed his mind before. “How would he know?” he points out. 

Hongjoong sighs. San has a point, but it doesn’t exactly alleviate his fears either way. His crush on the Captain is bad enough, but if someone—worst of all Seonghwa—figured out the necklace was his creation. Well, it would certainly look as if Hongjoong was trying his hand at courting the alpha. Not just any alpha though. The next Head Alpha. That would certainly be a bad look. 

“I’m sorry,” San apologizes. “It’s not like I was trying to make it look like you like my brother.” Realistically, though, he thinks Seonghwa would be a far more respectable choice than the Captain, excluding the whole caste issue. If Hongjoong was going to aim high anyways, why not at least pick someone with some class? 

“It’s okay,” Hongjoong says although it’s kind of really not. He finds that he’s not that angry though. His heart had jumped into his throat when he first saw the necklace around Seonghwa’s neck, but he hadn’t ever felt angry. He was just worried. Seonghwa clearly didn’t know who he was, and he didn’t know who made that necklace, but what would he think if he knew? What would happen to Hongjoong? 

“I can tell him the truth,” San offers, pausing to turn back towards Hongjoong. The elder looks briefly stricken with fear. “I mean, not about it being something you made!” he quickly backtracks when he sees the fear on Hongjoong’s expression. “Just that, I fibbed about it being from an omega that likes him. I can tell him that it was just a rejected gift of mine.” 

Frowning, Hongjoong stops right in front of San. He places his hands on his hips, taking a moment to catch his breath. “Why didn’t you just tell him that in the first place?” he asks. 

“Because,” San licks his lips, looking further up the hill. They’re almost to Yunho’s cabin, but it’s not yet visible. “I thought if I told him it would just lead to more questions about who I like, and it made him happy so I thought it was a win-win scenario. I really never thought about the fact that he might figure out who made the necklace, I swear.”

Hongjoong blinks at San’s words. “It made him happy?” 

San hums, turning to continue the trek to Yunho’s cabin. “Yeah. Omegas have never really expressed much interest in him. I’m not sure why.” He pauses in thought before looking over his shoulder to look at Hongjoong. “You’re an unrelated omega, why don’t you like Seonghwa? Why’s he so unappealing to omegas? For me, he’s my brother, so I guess I’m biased.” 

Hongjoong startles at the question. “What, me?” He clears his throat awkwardly and turns his head away. “It’s not as if he’s not appealing,” he answers. “Seonghwa is attractive and charming in his own right. I’m actually kind of shocked to hear you say that no omegas are interested in him. Certainly there are plenty of omegas that I know who speak highly of him. I think we all figured that Wooyoung would be the one who would eventually mate with him.” 

“Wooyoung,” San snorts at the mention of his friend. “Wooyoung is not one to be tied down by any alpha. At least not yet. And Seonghwa, frankly, thinks he’s unbearably annoying.” 

Hongjoong hides a laugh behind his hand. “Annoying?” 

“I suppose my brother can be equally picky,” he admits. “Still, how come you don’t like him?” San asks. “Why the Captain and not my brother?” 

Hongjoong laughs at the question. “I already know the Captain is out of my league,” he reminds the younger omega. “So I definitely know that Seonghwa is not even an option for me. I’m sure there are plenty of omegas who like your brother, though.” 

“Hm.” San hums, thinking over Hongjoong’s words as they arrive at their destination. Hongjoong falls silent, eyes widening in shock as he takes in the cabin. 

“Where are we? Who lives here?” he asks when he sees San enter through the gate without any hesitation. He reluctantly follows after him, eyes scanning the little yard they’re occupying anxiously. It seems lived in, worn down from the weather but with obvious upkeep. 

“It’s okay,” San assures him, leading him by the hand towards the entrance to the cabin. Hongjoong resists the urge to dig his heels into the ground, scared to approach the cabin. Whoever lives here, he knows that they’re not a part of their community. They shouldn’t be here. “Yunho!” he calls out once he opens the door. Hongjoong frowns. That name is familiar. He’s heard it before recently, but he can’t pinpoint exactly where he heard it. “I’m coming in,” San says, pulling Hongjoong inside after him. 

The elder squeaks a little once he’s inside, eyes darting around in anticipation of someone rounding the corner on them at any moment. “Are we just breaking into someone’s house?” he asks, clinging to San’s arm as the omega leads him further into the cabin. It’s quiet inside. Whoever San called out to is either unresponsive or not home. 

“Don’t be silly,” San chides him. “He wasn’t expecting me today, but it’s not like he’ll be angry that I’m here.” 

“Who exactly is ‘he?’” Hongjoong asks. 

“Just—” As if just to prove San’s reassurances false, the front door suddenly slams open, startling both omegas, and Hongjoong cries out in alarm as he instinctively hides behind San. “Yunho,” the blond breathes in relief when he recognizes the alpha. Hongjoong peeks around the omega’s body to stare at the unfamiliar alpha. He looked terrifying storming through the door like that, but he pauses as soon as he sees both omegas, and his posture immediately relaxes. 

“I smelled you and someone I didn’t recognize,” Yunho explains, tilting his head to the side as he observes Hongjoong. “I thought something had happened.” 

“No, nothing to worry about,” San assures him. “I came to steal some of your medicinal salve.” He pauses when he sees the way Yunho is staring Hongjoong curiously. Jealousy briefly bubbles in the pit of his stomach, and he turns his head to look at Hongjoong as well, curious about what Yunho finds fascinating about the omega. “The salve,” San says a bit more loudly. 

Yunho looks at him before jerking his chin to where he keeps his own medical supplies. It’s an invitation, and San scurries off to grab a jar, leaving Hongjoong alone with Yunho. It takes him less than a minute to grab one of the jars and come back only to find his annoyance flare again when he comes back to find the two in an extended stare off. 

San parts his lips to say something to the alpha—anything to grab his attention from Hongjoong—but he doesn’t have a chance to before Yunho speaks up on his own. “You don’t have a lot of Marks,” he says. San blinks, hugging the jar of salve to his chest, while Hongjoong bristles next to him. He hadn’t been expecting that kind of response from Yunho. 

“At least I have some,” Hongjoong snaps. San bites his lip. Perhaps bringing Hongjoong here was a mistake. 

Yunho snorts at Hongjoong’s retort, unbothered by the insult. “Ah, yes. My biggest regret in life is never being able to wear your silly Marks.” 

Hongjoong narrows his eyes at the alpha, and he scans him over critically. The lack of Marks is the most obvious point of criticism, but the omega finds himself looking for more things to deem “wrong” about the alpha. Instead, his focus zeroes in on the necklace around the alpha’s neck, and he freezes up. 

Yunho. It suddenly occurs to him when and where he had heard the name before. San had casually dropped his name earlier to his brother although neither he nor Seonghwa had questioned him about it. He rears on the other omega then with wide eyes, alarm bells blaring in his brain. San had once said that if Hongjoong thought his crush on the Captain was bad, that San had an equally problematic crush. And, frankly, he would recognize San’s handiwork anywhere considering he was the one who taught the omega everything he knew. 

“Him?” he asks. San smiles nervously at the question. “You’re trying to court an Unmarked? Are you _insane?_ ” 

“Listen, I can explain,” San says before pausing. Hongjoong cocks his eyebrow up at the claim. Even Yunho seems interested in his response. The alpha folds his arms over his chest and raises his eyebrows, patiently waiting for the omega to speak, but San realizes he doesn’t have much of a response—let alone a good one—so he immediately fumbles before he even begins. “I....like him,” he says lamely. 

Hongjoong makes a distressed noise. “He’s Unmarked,” he repeats like that isn’t already obvious. 

“I know.” San sucks his bottom lip between his teeth to bite down on it. “I still like him though.” Yunho, at least, seems satisfied with his answer if the little upward curl of his lips mean anything. 

“How long?” Hongjoong asks, drawing the omega’s attention to him. “How long is he banished for?” 

“How long am I banished for?” Yunho repeats with a small little laugh. San bites down on his thumb nervously. “I was born out here.” 

Hongjoong sucks in a breath at his answer. “San—” He turns to look at the blond. 

“Don’t tell Seonghwa,” San begs before Hongjoong can even finish his thought. “Please? We promised to keep each other’s secrets.” 

“San,” Hongjoong sighs. 

Yunho approaches San, holding his hands out in a silent request. Wordlessly, San hands over the jar, worried that Yunho might be taking it back from them, but the alpha tells him to go fetch some gauze for him. San hesitates before following through when Yunho repeats his request. 

Then the alpha turns to face Hongjoong who shrinks away from him when he realizes it’s just him and the alpha. It’s easy enough for Yunho to corner the omega, and a part of him can’t help but feel a little powerful at the way Hongjoong cowers from him. Another part of him wonders why not bearing Marks is enough to terrify someone. He reaches out to take hold of the omega’s injured hand, coaxing him to sit down. 

Hongjoong sinks to the floor along with the alpha, and he flexes his fingers in the alpha’s hold. Yunho’s hold is surprisingly gentle although it does little to assuage Hongjoong’s fear and discomfort. “Let me tell you something,” Yunho says as he unscrews the lid of the jar. He dips his fingers into the salve before smearing a generous layer on top of Hongjoong’s reddened skin. The omega hisses at the initial contact of the salve before quickly relaxing. It’s cool and soothing against his skin, but some pain still spikes up his arm. 

“I was born Unmarked because of my mother,” Yunho says. “It’s the only way of life I’ve ever known, and I don’t exactly like you or your people. If you want to think yourself better than me because you have some Marks, go ahead. That being said,” he tightens his grip around Hongjoong’s wrist when the omega meekly tries to pull away, “I ask that you keep this encounter to yourself.” 

Hongjoong blinks at plea, peering up through his bangs to stare at the alpha in disbelief. “You want me to keep you a secret?” he clarifies. “To protect yourself?” 

“Protect myself from what?” Yunho snorts. “I’m already Unmarked. San is not, though.” 

“You...don’t want San to get in trouble?” 

“Not really, no.” 

Hongjoong licks his lips. “If that’s what you want, you would tell him not to come here. You’d reject his gifts.” He stares at the pendant lying against the base of the alpha’s throat. 

“You think I haven’t?” Yunho challenges. “He doesn’t exactly listen to me.” 

Frowning, Hongjoong looks down at the back of his hand, a generous layer of salve coating the burn. He supposes he can’t really argue with Yunho on that one. San isn’t exactly known for listening to other people. “Does that mean you return his....affection?” he asks. It feels wrong to say. The idea that someone of San’s status and power liking an Unmarked, it’s something Hongjoong can hardly fathom. 

“I’m fond of him,” Yunho answers although it hardly satisfies Hongjoong. Does that mean he likes him or not? 

San returns before Hongjoong can interrogate him further, handing off a small roll of gauze which Yunho wraps around his hand. When he’s finished, the alpha pushes the jar of salve closer to Hongjoong. “You should be fine, but place more salve on it at least once a day. You’ll want to keep that skin hydrated.” 

He stands up, already working to shoo San out of his cabin when Hongjoong blurts out at least one last question that’s been bothering him. “What did your mother do?” he asks, hugging the jar of salve to his stomach. Everyone in the room freezes at the question, but Hongjoong presses forward, refusing to be intimidated by an Unmarked. For once in his life, he had rank over someone. “What did your mother do that she was banished and the punishment continued on to you?” He’d never heard of such a harsh punishment. 

Yunho doesn’t answer at first, and when Hongjoong finally lifts his head up to look at him the alpha has his back to the omega, staring at San instead. “I don’t know,” he finally answers. “She never told me. I figured you guys would know.” 

Hongjoong shakes his head when Yunho turns to look at him. “I never even heard of a woman and her son being banished out here.” 

San shrinks back when Yunho looks to him instead. “I knew of her,” he admits. “But I never knew what she was banished for. Honestly. My parents never told me.” 

Yunho takes a deep breath and releases it silently. “Well, it’s not like it really matters,” he says. “Now, if that’s all you two wanted _please_ get out of my cabin.” 

  
  
  
  


There’s a lot San really needs to do. He hasn’t seen Yunho for a few weeks now, not since he went to the cabin to get a jar of salve for Hongjoong. He hasn’t had the guts to face the alpha yet. He misses the alpha, more than is probably okay, but he just doesn’t know that he has the courage to face him after their last conversation. It’s not as if Yunho had explicitly said this, but San feels as though he can’t face him until he’s at least answered that question for him. 

Why was his mother banished?

Then there’s also Hongjoong. San promised that he would clear up any misunderstanding with his brother before it potentially got out of hand, and, well, one of these things is definitely easier to accomplish. 

“Seonghwa,” he calls for his brother, poking his head into the alpha’s room. 

“What is it?” his brother asks, staring down at some documents laid out before him. 

“Are you busy?” San asks. “I wanted to talk to you about something important.” 

Seonghwa tears his eyes away from his papers to look at his brother for a moment before he turns around, leaning back against his small little desk. “What is it?” he coaxes the omega closer. 

Shuffling into the room, San links his hands together behind his back and struggles to meet his brother’s gaze. “Well,” he says, slumping his shoulders with a sigh, “it’s about that necklace I gave you.” Seonghwa looks down at his neck, reaching up to pinch the pendant between his thumb and pointer finger. “Listen, I wasn’t entirely honest about the necklace so—”

“It’s okay,” Seonghwa cuts him off with a wry smile. “I figured it out.” 

San blinks, caught off guard by Seonghwa’s words. He figured it out? He knew? San figured he would have been a little more angry in that case, or that he would at least stop wearing the necklace. “Oh. Since when?” 

Seonghwa rolls his eyes at the question. “Give me more credit than that, San,” he says to his brother. “I can put two and two together. This looks remarkably similar to the types of things you make, and you love to heap credit and praise onto Hongjoong about everything he taught you.” San freezes. Wait, what? 

“No, I meant—” 

“At first I was a little insulted to be honest,” Seonghwa tells him. “We’re not exactly on the same level when it comes to status, but you so clearly liked him, so I just kind of sat back to observe him a little. He’s actually kind of cute.” 

“ _What?_ ” 

“It’s kind of admirable how brave he is,” Seonghwa remarks. “He’s the first omega who ever tried with me, you know.” 

Oh, shit. Oh, no. Seonghwa knows that Hongjoong is the one who made the necklace, but, worse than that, he thinks Hongjoong _likes_ him. And he apparently likes the notion. This is exactly what Hongjoong was worried about—perhaps minus the thought that Seonghwa would _actually like him back_ —nevertheless this is a problem. 

“He doesn’t like you,” San blurts out. 

Seonghwa blinks, taken aback by his brother’s outburst. “What?” he asks. 

“Hongjoong doesn’t like you,” San repeats. “Look, it was just a misunderstanding—” 

“I get it,” Seonghwa interjects with a sad shake of his head. San presses his lips together, wondering if Seonghwa really does understand. “It’s because of the caste disparity right?” What? No. San doesn’t even get a chance to voice that, however, because Seonghwa tells him, “Don’t worry. I’m sure I can charm him again.” 

“That’s not…” San sighs. His brother is really dense. Then another thought occurs to him. “Wait, do you actually like Hongjoong?” 

Seonghwa hums but doesn’t give him a straight forward answer. He should probably set his brother straight. Tell him that yes, Hongjoong did make that necklace, but no he didn’t like him. He never liked him, but the second issue—the one he kind of cares more about—settles into the forefront of his brain. “Seonghwa, do you remember that omega woman who was banished for life?” 

Seonghwa straightens up at the question, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “Why do you ask?” 

“It just came up recently in a conversation,” San lies easily enough. “I remember hearing about her. Father has never banned someone to the outskirts for life. It was memorable.” 

“Certainly,” Seonghwa agrees in a subdued voice. San squints at his brother, unable to discern what kind of mood he’s in. “So? She just came up in conversation once?” 

“Well, I was wondering what she did for Father to do that,” San adds. “I asked Mom about it once, but she told me that it didn’t matter and not to worry about it.” 

Seonghwa curls his fingers over the edge of his desk, fingers tapping against the wood. “She wouldn’t have wanted to,” he says, lips pulled into a frown. 

“Why?” 

“Because,” Seonghwa sighs, “she’s always wanted you to mate with the Captain. You know this, don’t you? I think she worried that if she told you, or if everyone in general knew what really happened, it would ruin it for you.” 

An alarmed noise escapes San’s throat. “What? What does she have to do with the Captain?” 

“You wanted to know what she did, right?” Seonghwa repeats. “I’ll tell you.” 

  
  
  
  


San is decidedly nervous when he returns to Yunho’s cabin next. It’s not the longest he’s ever gone between visits, but something about knowing the truth now makes it feel like it’s been an eternity since he last saw the alpha. It’s like the gap between them has widened even further. San can’t really explain it. He’s never felt nervous about being here. Not even on that first night during The Chase when he’d practically climbed the fence and made himself at home right away. 

Not helping the matter is the fact that the cabin seems oddly quiet. Maybe Yunho is out hunting or doing whatever it is he does. San figures he’ll just make himself comfortable while he waits for Yunho. Perhaps this is a good thing. It’ll give San time to figure out what he’ll say. How can he best explain the situation? 

He only just barely creaks the door of the cabin open to see if Yunho is really home or not only to be hit with a strong, powerful scent. San’s reaction is near instantaneous. His pupils dilate, breaths picking up as heat pools into his stomach. This smell. It smells like—San covers his nose and mouth with a hand although it does little to stifle the scent. 

He should leave and come back another day. It would be the correct and polite thing to do, but San’s body doesn’t listen to his brain. He takes one step into the little cabin, and he swears the scent of Yunho’s pheromones alone makes his brain melt. 

Mindlessly, he follows the scent, too tempted to turn back now. “Are you in a rut?” he asks, opening the door to what he knows is Yunho’s room. It’s kind of a silly question to ask in retrospect, but San doesn’t have the time to reflect on that because his mouth goes dry at the sight before him. 

Yunho sits on his bed, leaning back against the hand carved wooden headboard he made himself. He’s stark naked, his body covered shiny and wet from sweat. His legs are spread and his hand is working furiously between them. Unfortunately, most of San’s view is blocked by his knees which are drawn up towards his stomach. 

He pauses when he takes account of the fact that he has an intruder in his presence, growling when he sees San at his doorway. The sound is so guttural that San honestly can’t tell if he’s angry with him or horny from the scent of an omega. “San,” he says his name in such a way that a shiver crawls down the omega’s spine. “Why are you here? Get out.” 

His words come out breathy, but despite telling San to leave Yunho reaches out as if to beckon the omega closer instead. Already weak to the alpha, San’s resolve crumbles under the onslaught of Yunho’s pheromones, and he stumbles his way over to Yunho with his arms outstretched, making grabby hands at the alpha. 

Yunho catches him by the wrist as soon as he’s close enough, drawing him in closer. San sucks in a breath when his eyes instinctively drop down to Yunho’s crotch, and he practically salivates when he sees the alpha’s cock. His knot is already starting to form. He wonders how many days it’s been since he started. Taking a whiff of the pungent scent around him, San guesses that he’s a few days into his rut. 

“Let me help you,” he purrs, stradling Yunho’s thighs. Whatever apprehension he’d originally felt when he first walked in is completely clouded by the fact that Yunho is in a rut. He’s in a rut, and San really, _really_ wants to help him through it. 

“You shouldn’t have come today,” Yunho says, fitting his fingers underneath the hem of San’s shirt. 

“I think it’s quite fortunate that I came today of all days,” San argues. He lifts his arms up to help Yunho remove his shirt. Once it’s off, he leans over the alpha, taking a brief moment to sniff his scent. It goes straight to his head, and San muffles his own groan as his body heats up and his cock hardens. “Have you ever spent your rut with an omega?” San asks despite knowing how silly it is. Of course Yunho had never experienced it. He’d never known an omega until San. 

“No,” he answers, leaning forward to lay his forehead on San’s shoulder. He makes a pained noise as he digs his fingers into San’s waist and bucks his hips up. “It hurts,” he grumbles. 

“I know,” San coos, petting Yunho’s head affectionately. “I’ll take care of you.” 

He wouldn’t say he had a lot of experience with alphas in a rut, but he knew some things. He’d helped the Captain through his first rut when they were teenagers and San still thought they might be mates one day. Looking back on it now, it’s one of the omega’s few regrets, but there’s not much he can do about it now. 

“It’ll feel so much better to knot an omega,” San assures him. The same way it feels so much better to be knotted during his heat, he knows that alphas feel so much better when they can knot someone in their rut. He knows the Captain still does it. He has a handful of omegas he enjoys spending his rut with because San refuses to help him through it anymore. 

Biting down on his lip, San reaches between their bodies to fist Yunho’s cock, but the alpha catches his hand before he can touch him. The omega looks up at him, freezing at the terrified look on Yunho’s face. “I’m scared,” the alpha admits. 

“Why?” San asks. He doesn’t fight Yunho’s hold, waiting for the alpha to come to a decision. 

Yunho struggles with himself, torn between telling San to go home and pulling him in closer. “My mother told me that this was something only mates should do,” he says. 

San tenses up. His mother said that? He thinks he understands why she would say such a thing to him after, well, what happened to her. “It doesn’t have to be,” he tells Yunho truthfully. “Especially if you’re unmated. It’s okay, but if it makes you feel any better I _want_ to mate you.” 

Yunho’s nostrils flare, perhaps finally taking in San’s own aroused scent. “I don’t—” he stammers, “I don’t get it. What does this mean?” 

“It can mean whatever you want it to,” San assures him. “If you don’t want it to mean anything that’s okay. I can just help you through it.” His next words get stuck in his throat, and he swallows to try and unstick them, “But if you want it to mean something I’m okay with that too. You know that I like you. I’ve just told you that I would like to mate with you, so if you want to listen to your mother’s advice we can.” 

Yunho’s lips tremble at his words, and his fingers move further down to trace along the hem of his pants. “I’m Unmarked,” he reminds San in a strained voice. “I know I don’t know much about your culture, but I know that they wouldn’t like me.” 

“So?” San guides Yunho’s hand up to his face, and he presses the alpha’s palm into his cheek. “Right now, so am I.” 

Yunho’s breathing is shaky as he thumbs across San’s clean cheekbone. He had already taken off his Marks before he came here because, even if Yunho never said it, San knows that he likes when the omega doesn’t wear his Marks. He can tell in the way Yunho is always a little more pleasant with him, always in a nicer mood, and always willing to give San compliments when he shows up bare faced. 

“Let me help you?” San asks. 

“Okay,” Yunho breathes out, finally pulling the omega closer like he wants to. 

Finally, San reaches down to hold Yunho’s cock in his hand, and a shiver runs up his spine from the feeling. It’s hard and heavy and hot in his palm. The head is already so slick from his precum. He pumps his hand down the shaft, fingers brushing over the beginning of his knot and they both moan in unison. 

“Fuck. I need you in me.” San lifts his hips up to help Yunho slide his pants off. It takes a bit of maneuvering but they manage to slide them off. 

Yunho moves his hand over the swell of San’s ass. His fingers dip down curiously, and he makes a noise of confusion when he touches something wet. “Why are you wet here?” he asks, rubbing long fingers over the omega’s hole. 

San almost laughs before he remembers that it’s totally understandable that Yunho wouldn’t know. “Omegas self-lubricate,” San says, mouthing along the column of Yunho’s neck. The alpha tips his head to the side, welcoming the touch. 

“Oh.” Yunho eyelids droop as he presses the pad of one finger against the San’s entrance as his other hand runs up the omega’s ribcage. San shivers from the touch, arching his back to push his ass back. It’s not enough to push Yunho’s finger inside of him, but there’s more pressure. “I didn’t know,” the alpha remarks. 

“It’s okay,” San reassures him, shifting to lift himself up onto his knees. He shuffles closer to the alpha before reaching behind him to hold Yunho’s cock by the base. He presses the head against his hole when Yunho suddenly startles, holding him by the hips. 

“Wait!” the alpha cries in alarm. San pauses to look up at the alpha. “Are you—I mean, you’re not ready yet, are you?” 

San does laugh a little this time, touched by the alpha’s concern for him. “Don’t worry about it,” he assures Yunho. “I’m more than ready to take you. I promise.” With that he lines the head of Yunho’s cock to his hole and sinks down on it. The omega bites back a whimper at the sensation and forces himself to relax as he takes more and more of Yunho’s cock into him. 

It only begins to border on the painful side when he reaches Yunho’s knot. It’s been a long time since San last took a knot, so he isn’t as prepared for just how _big_ it is. It takes some adjustments and more time than San expects, but he’s able to take Yunho’s knot inside of himself, and he breathes out in relief once it’s in. 

“Fuck,” Yunho cries out when San seats himself fully on his cock. Overwhelmed by the tight warmth around his cock, the alpha can’t help but buck his hips up. San cries out, grabbing Yunho by the shoulders to ground himself and digging his nails into them. His knot presses up against his prostate during one particularly hard thrust, and San’s cock throbs in response. 

“Wait, wait,” he says, breathing out in relief when Yunho stills. “Give me a second. It’s been awhile since I took a knot.” 

“Are you okay?” Yunho pants out. 

“I’m fine,” San runs his hands down Yunho’s face, cupping his cheek in his palm. “It’s just a lot bigger than I remember it being.” 

“You’ve done this before though, haven’t you?” San hums, running his fingers up and down the alpha’s spine. He squeezes around Yunho’s cock, drawing a moan from both of them in the process. “Did it mean something to you that time?” he asks. 

San holds in a snort. He’s sitting on the alpha’s cock, ready to help him through his rut. The last thing he really wants to talk about is the time he used to help the Captain through his ruts. He especially doesn’t want to think about him. “Maybe back then it did,” he admits, lifting himself up before sinking back down again. Yunho moans, toes curling into his sheets as he struggles to keep himself from thrusting up into San’s tight heat. “But it definitely doesn’t now. If I could I’d completely forget about it.” 

Yunho honestly can’t even process San’s words properly. It’s frankly hard to think of anything other than San’s tight heat around him. “I want to come,” he says, holding the omega close.

“Okay,” San says. “Lemme just—” he adjusts himself on his knees before he starts up a steady rhythm. He lifts himself up and down, fucking himself down onto the alpha’s cock. Yunho throws his head back, leaning it back against the headboard. 

“You can move too,” San tells him, breath hitching when the alpha’s knot rubs against his prostate. Precum beads at the tip of his cock. “Fu-uck,” he whimpers. 

“Are you sure?” Yunho asks, panting as he stares up at the ceiling. 

San only moans in answer, his voice getting progressively more breathy and high pitched. “Please,” he begs, still bouncing on the alpha’s cock. 

Yunho doesn’t need to be told twice. He plants his feet on the bed to give himself some leverage before he thrusts up into the omega. San chokes, body tensing up at the first thrust. “Yunho,” he gasps out the alpha’s name. 

The alpha thrusts up into him a few more times before he pauses with a grunt. San leans forward against him, arms draped over the alpha’s shoulders as he heaves in labored breaths. He feels so full stuffed with the alpha’s cock, the knot catching against his rim when he grinds down again. 

Yunho holds him by the waist, shifting them around as he tries to get up onto his knees. San makes a distressed noise when Yunho attempts to pull him up from his cock. He clenches down around the alpha when Yunho nearly pulls his knot from him, and the alpha chokes and loses his balance at the sensation. He tips them forward, San landing onto his back with a grunt while Yunho throws his hands out to catch himself so he doesn’t crush the omega under his weight. 

“Shit,” the alpha curses as his knot swells just a little more. San keens at the feeling, arching his back off the bed as he opens his legs up for Yunho. The alpha takes the silent invitation. Steadying himself on his knees, Yunho fucks the omega as best he can while he’s unable to unlodge his knot from inside San. He ruts his hips down into the omega who lifts his own up to meet him. 

With a broken moan, Yunho finally looks down at the omega before him, and his breath hitches at the sight before him. The omega’s body is flushed all the way down to his chest, his skin covered in a light sheen of sweat. Yunho has never doubted San’s beauty. He knows the omega is pretty, kind of figures that he’s pretty well liked among his Marked peers, but he’s never felt attracted to him before. Not like this. 

San whines, fingers digging into the blankets next to his head as he tries to sink himself down on the alpha’s cock. Yunho hisses at the action but doesn’t make any move to give the omega what he wants. He presses his

Beneath him like this, helping him through his rut, Yunho can honestly say he thinks the omega is attractive. Pushing himself up, Yunho sits back on his heels and reaches up for the pendant he’d been wearing as of late. The one San had gifted to him. He wore the necklace not so much as an acceptance of San’s feelings as it was a truce—an acceptance of friendship at the very least. 

Yunho pinches the little half moon pendant between his fingers and thinks about all the other little gifts San had given to him over the last year, most of which he hadn’t even looked at yet. Courting gifts. Jongho talked about them extensively sometimes, so Yunho learned some things from him, but the concept still remained mostly foreign to him. It was always just foreign enough to doubt San at least. Now, though, Yunho wonders if he should go through them again. 

“Yunho, please,” San begs. 

The alpha presses his palm down on San’s chest, right at his sternum. “I can’t,” he says in a pained voice, grinding his hips into San’s ass. “I’m gonna cum.” 

“Good,” the omega encourages, working himself on the alpha’s cock. It’s hard given just how stuffed he feels, but he still tries to tighten up on the alpha anyways, doing his best to please Yunho. “It’ll make you feel better.” 

“It never does,” Yunho groans, feeling the heat beginning to uncoil in his stomach. “It’s always endless. Never satisfying.” He hates his ruts. Has since he first got them as a teenager and his mother would lock him in his room with little help or advice other than to simply sweat it out. It’s the worst time of the year in Yunho’s opinion, when his hormones go absolutely insane, and there’s nothing to bring him relief except the end of his cycle. 

“It will,” San insists. “Trust me. This time it will.” 

Yunho doesn’t know if it’s the words or the tight heat around his cock, but his knot swells until there’s absolutely no way he could pull out of San even if he wanted to, and he cums with a helpless cry. San shivers and presses a hand against his pelvis. Yunho’s knot presses hard against his prostate, and between that and being stuffed by the alpha’s cock and cum, San twitches with interest. 

He rolls his hips down experimentally, throwing his head back with a moan when it causes Yunho’s knot to rub against his prostate. However, he immediately freezes when Yunho makes a pained noise in response to him. “Too much?” he asks. 

Yunho takes a moment to catch his breath. “It’s okay,” he says in a small voice. 

For a moment, San thinks about it before deciding that he really, _really_ wants to cum, so he grinds down again only for Yunho to release another wounded noise. 

“No, it’s not okay,” San sighs as he relaxes into the bed. 

“But what about you?” Yunho asks. He already feels a little bit better. His head is clearer, the pain in his stomach as started to ease up a little, and his desire seems manageable finally. 

Smiling up at the alpha, San untangles one hand from the blankets to reach down between them and starts fisting his cock. “I can take care of myself,” he tells Yunho. Feeling bad though, Yunho reaches for San to take over, but the omega swats his hand away. “Don’t. This is about you. This is for you,” he says between moans as he quickly works himself up to his own orgasm. 

“But—” 

“You can take care of me during my heat,” San suggests. Yunho looks stricken by the proposition though, so the omega quickly walks it back. “Kidding. I’m kidding.” He gasps as heat pools in his stomach. He feels even hotter when he notices Yunho staring at him, watching the omega please himself. When Yunho lifts his gaze up to meet San’s eyes, the omega almost loses it. “Watch me,” he pleads as Yunho furrows his eyebrows together in confusion. “Watch me cum on your knot.” 

Yunho’s eyes trail back down to the omega’s cock just as he begins playing with the tip of it, rubbing his thumb along the slit. San tips over the edge, eyes fluttering and a quiet cry escaping it as his orgasm hits him with a ferocity he’s not used to outside of his own heat cycle. Cum spills from the head of his cock and down his fingers. Yunho’s cock twitches inside of him, another spurt of cum spilling out into San that has the omega moaning weakly in response. 

“How do you feel?” San croaks out when he’s finally come down from his high. 

Yunho blinks down at the omega before. “Fine,” he answers after a moment of hesitation. “I feel fine.” 

“Better than you normally do?” San asks. 

Yunho pauses to think about it even though he doesn’t need to. The very fact that he can take a moment to think about it is proof enough that he’s a lot better than usual. “Yeah, I do.” 

“It always feels better if you can knot someone,” San says, running his fingers across his stomach in a soothing pattern, and he shivers from the sensation. It’s why he had helped the Captain that first cycle of theirs and why he’s helping Yunho now even though the alpha isn’t in sync with his cycles. It makes sense. Yunho’s been alone his whole life, whereas most people in the village tended to go into their cycles around the same time every spring. Yunho’s rut seemed surprisingly early in San’s opinion. 

The alpha reaches out to grab his soiled hand by the wrist. San pauses his movements, watching as the alpha leans over his body to grab something from the floor. The shift causes the knot inside the omega press against his prostate, and San chokes on his saliva as his cock twitches in interest. He’s not even in heat. Yunho comes back with a fur and a handkerchief of sorts. 

He takes a moment to lay the furs across San’s body as best he can given their current position and the fact that they are very much attached to each other. The omega blinks when he’s covered with the warm fur, and his brain near short circuits when Yunho begins to wipe up the mess on his hand with the little handkerchief he grabbed as well. 

“What?” the alpha asks when he’s finished because San’s hidden half his face beneath the fur to hide his smile. 

“Nothing! I’m just—” his good mood abruptly dissipates when San remembers exactly why he came here to begin with. 

Yunho watches as his expression drops, and he releases his hold on the omega’s hand. “What’s wrong?” 

San’s lips tremble as he looks down at the fur draped over his body. He’d been completely sidetracked by Yunho’s rut, and now what? It’s not like now is exactly an appropriate time to have this conversation, when San is quite literally stuck on the alpha’s cock. “I came here because I needed to talk to you about something important,” he admits. “I got completely distracted. I’m so sorry. I’m really sorry, Yunho.” 

“Why are you apologizing?” Yunho asks. “You don’t have to.” 

“I do though,” San says as a wave of guilt and shame washes over him. He lifts the fur up to cover his face. He doesn’t want to talk about this. At least not right now while he has Yunho’s knot lodged in his ass, but he feels like the alpha has a right to know. He came here to tell him this exact thing. “I came to talk to you about your mother,” he sighs, pulling the fur away from his face but refusing to meet Yunho’s gaze. At least at first. He finally peeks up when the alpha remains quiet, only to flinch when he meets Yunho’s heavy, intense gaze. 

“I found out what she was banished for and why it passed on to you when you were born,” he continues when Yunho still doesn’t say anything. Another silence passes between them, and the omega resists the urge to squirm around on the bed. “Did you hear me?” he asks. 

“I heard you,” Yunho says in a monotonous voice. “I don’t want to talk about it right now, though.” 

“But your mom—” San cuts himself off when Yunho flops down on top of him. He digs his hands underneath San’s body, holding him close. 

“Not now,” he insists. “I don’t want to get mad at your right now.” 

San laughs at him. “You’ll get mad at me anyways though,” he points out as he runs his fingers through Yunho’s sweaty hair. “You basically just admitted that.” 

“But I don’t want to _right now_ ,” Yunho insists stubbornly. “Besides, whatever you tell me I know it’s not your fault.” 

“Yunho—” 

“It’s not!” Yunho pulls back to stare down at the alpha. “We’re the same age, aren’t we? I was born out here, so you weren’t even born yet when it happened.” 

“My family did it to you though,” San whispers, an admission of guilt he doesn’t want to make. 

“I don’t care,” Yunho denies fiercely. “You didn’t do it to me, and that’s good enough for me.” He’s not about to blame San for this, not when he’s just beginning to feel soft for the omega. 

“So, you don’t want to know what happened?” San asks. 

Yunho is quiet for a moment as he thinks about his answer. His knee jerk reaction is to say that of course he wants to know. He wants to know what the hell his mother had done that this was the life she somehow deserved according to the village head, but he also doesn’t know that he wants to have this conversation now when the effects of his rut are just wearing off and he has San naked and pliant beneath him. “I do,” he says, “but not now. It can wait.” 

“Okay,” San says in a small voice. 

“Don’t sound so scared,” Yunho tells him.

San smiles at him although it quickly falls as he holds the furs close to his body. 

  
  
  
  


Yunho feels surprisingly more refreshed and clear headed after knotting San. It’s a feeling he’s not exactly used to. There’s still an underlying desire that burns in the pit of his stomach the next morning, but it’s manageable, easy to forget. San still acts like he’s walking on eggshells around him, and Yunho is quick to notice that he doesn’t bring up his mother again. Like he’s trying to avoid the subject all together. Yunho allows him that brief reprieve for now because he finds himself distracted by something else entirely. 

After sending the omega off to take a bath first, Yunho pulls out the little box San had last gifted to him. He’d hidden it underneath his along with the other gifts San had given to him. This was the most recent one though. San said that it was a surprise. Or it had a surprise. It wasn’t very clear to Yunho. 

He runs his fingers along the top of the box. It’s rough and unpolished, the wood work still a bit amateur. Most of San’s items were like this, but he seemed to have devoted himself mostly to the art of making jewelry with the woodwork being more of a side endeavour. It’s cute. 

Removing the lid, Yunho pauses when his eyes land on the silver bands lying inside it. By all means they’re shockingly simple for an omega who had the means to add whatever expensive or rare gemstone he could find. By comparison, this is much simpler. And there’s two of them. 

Yunho picks up one of them and experimentally fits it on one of his fingers. He holds his hand out, spreading his fingers apart to observe how it looks. It’s simple. It’s nice. Yunho thinks it fits him. He picks up the second ring just as San returns, dressed but damp with water. 

“I’m done. You should hurry though before the water goes cold,” San says, pausing when he sees Yunho kneeling on the floor of his room. “What are you doing?” 

Yunho turns to look at him before he holds the second one out to the omega. “Why are there two?” he asks, unsure of the significance or if there even is any. 

San blinks, staring at the ring Yunho shows him. “You actually looked at it?” he asks, lips curling up into a pleased smile. 

“I was curious,” Yunho defends. “Did you make two just because? Rings are easier to make?” 

San shakes his head, kneeling down next to the alpha. “Where’s the other one?” he asks, plucking the ring from Yunho’s fingers. The alpha holds out his other hand, and the omega smiles when he spies the silver ring around Yunho’s finger. “This one is mine,” San says, slipping the second ring over his index finger. “And you,” he takes Yunho’s hand, slipping the ring off of his fourth finger and slipping it back onto his index finger, “there. You should wear it on this finger.” 

“Why?” Yunho asks. 

“It’s how we signify when two people who are courting each other,” San explains. “I didn’t want to wear one unless you did. I would have felt silly.” Yunho looks down at the ring again, twisting it around his index finger with a thoughtful hum. “Why did you suddenly decide to open it? What about all the other ones?” San scans the room for any of his other gifts only to frown when he can’t find any evidence of them. 

Yunho shrugs. “I don’t know. I just got curious.” 

“Suddenly?” San asks. 

The alpha nods his head before pinning San beneath his own intense stare. “What about you?” he asks. 

San meets his gaze. “What about me?” 

“You said you found out why my mom was banished, didn’t you?” 

San tenses up, fingers clenching into fists as he averts his gaze and avoids Yunho’s stare. He plays with the ring he just put on, suddenly feeling like he should perhaps remove it. He moves to take it off, but Yunho places his own hand on top of San’s to stop him. The omega freezes and then a shiver runs through him when he fully registers the alpha’s touch. 

“Whatever it is, I’m not mad at you,” the alpha assures him. “I won’t be mad at you.” 

“You can say you won’t be mad at me, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be,” San says nervously. 

Yunho frowns at him. “Did you do this to me?” he challenges. “Did you do this to my mother?” 

San shakes his head. “But my family—”

“You are not your family,” Yunho interrupts him. “If you were you wouldn’t be here. That much I at least know.” 

San purses his lips together while he mulls over Yunho’s words, ultimately deciding he’ll take the alpha’s words at face value. “Etiquette is stupidly important to us,” he begins. “I...won’t say I’m the best at adhering to most of the rules, but I understand what’s proper and what’s not and what’s expected of me and everyone else in the village for the most part.” San, of course, had a bit of a rebellious streak to him. He liked to play, and he didn’t care for many of the rules that applied to an omega in his caste. Sure, his mother hated his tendencies, and his father thought he should learn to behave, but mostly it was harmless things. 

Yunho, though, he might be the exception to that. “When it comes to relationships and mating, generally it’s okay for people in the same or similar castes to mate with each other, but it’s frowned upon if you go too far out. There are exceptions, of course.” 

“The Chase,” Yunho says because it’s the only thing he knows. 

San hesitates before nodding his head. “Right, like The Chase. A low-born alpha may prove to a high-born omega that he’s a worthy mate if he can catch him or her in The Chase. However, that’s the thing. It’s only for alpha’s to prove themselves. There is nothing a low-born omega can do other than find a mate within their own standing, but many alphas tend to look for more appealing mates than that.” 

Yunho tilts his head to the side as he considers San’s words. The omega looks particularly distraught by this as if it’s something he has personally experienced. Yunho knows that isn’t the case. He’s the Head Alpha’s son. By all standards, San _is_ the highest born omega, messing around with an Unmarked no less. Then Yunho suddenly remembers the only other omega he’s ever met. Hongjoong. 

He had so few Marks in comparison to San, to anyone Yunho has known actually. Even Jongho bore more Marks than him, and the omega had been so aggressively defensive about it. Yunho thought he was annoying. Now he wonders just how far removed he is from being an Unmarked like the alpha. “Your friend,” he points out. “He’s a low born omega, isn’t he?” 

“Yes,” San confirms in a small voice. “So was your mother.” 

Yunho goes quiet at that. It’s not so much that he’s particularly surprised, but it’s a very odd thought to him. The idea that his mother had any kind of ranking beyond Unmarked felt odd to him. “Then what did she do?” he asks. 

Sighing, San thinks over how best to explain this. “I don’t want to speak as if I knew her or how her relationship was,” he starts carefully. “You should understand that I’m hearing this from what I would consider a very biased perspective.” 

“Meaning?” Yunho asks suspiciously. 

“Meaning that the person who told my parents this has every reason to want to control the narrative,” San says. Yunho turns to face the omega more fully, squaring his shoulders as if to physically prepare himself. The omega takes a deep breath, “Your mom liked someone of a high rank. A very high rank.”

Yunho cocks an eyebrow and thinks about it. “Your dad?” 

“What? No!” San almost laughs. It would have been hilarious if that were the case. “Our General. They seemed to have some kind of relationship.” 

“What kind?” Yunho asks. He doesn’t know who their General is although he sounds like he’s high ranked. 

“That isn’t clear to me,” San admits. “He said that it was one sided. Your mother pursued him. It would have been very frowned upon and grounds for a banishment.” 

“Jongho was banished for the same reason, but his sentence was only five years in the outlands,” Yunho points. “My mom was banished for life and it passed on to me. Why? Because she was an omega?” 

San shakes his head. While a harsher punishment for an omega wouldn’t necessarily be out of the norm, this kind of offense still wouldn’t warrant a permanent banishment from the village. “It was political,” he says. “Well, I mean, it’s not like that’s what anyone says, but it was definitely political when I think about it.” 

“Political? My mom—” 

“I know,” San quickly interjects. “But she was an easy scapegoat. Maybe they had a good relationship, or maybe they didn’t, but the General never would have mated with her. He’s a traditionalist. It would have looked bad for him to mate with a low-born omega.” 

“He didn’t have to _banish_ her just to cover it up,” Yunho argues. 

“No, normally he wouldn’t, but then she got pregnant,” San bites his lip and looks up at Yunho, “with you.” The alpha freezes at the implication. “He probably thought it was a disaster. A low-born omega who he had no intention of mating would bear his child? It would have been the scandal of the century in the village. Worst for him, he already had a son with his actual mate.” The omega takes a deep breath. He’s almost finished. There’s just a bit more to the story, but San already feels nauseous just recounting this much. “So, my parents banished her, and you along with her, to protect him. You would have held the same rank as the Captain otherwise. You should have.” 

Yunho can’t help but scoff, and San flinches away from him, scared that the alpha is, in fact, angry with him. “You guys are so pointlessly cruel,” he remarks. So that was it then? His mom had been punished and Yunho had been shunned from birth just because he dared to exist? 

“You promised you wouldn’t be mad,” San whispers. 

“I’m not mad,” Yunho snaps in clear contradiction to his words. “I’m not mad at you,” he corrects when San tries to crawl away from him. “I’m just mad. I’m sorry.” 

“Anyone would be. You could have been a high-born alpha. You should have been,” San tells him. 

“It’s not about the rank.” Yunho shakes his head. He could care less about that. They never meant anything to him anyways. “It’s the fact that they made my mom’s life hard for no reason.” He curls his hands into a fist on his lap, his anger briefly dissipating when he spots the ring on his finger. “What about you?” he suddenly asks. 

San blinks, lifting his gaze up to look at him. “What about me?” he asks. 

“My mom got in trouble because she was a low-born omega who was trying to court someone who far outranked her, no? What does it look like for you to try and court an Unmarked alpha?” He lifts his hand up to show the omega the ring he’s still wearing. 

San winces at his question. “Not...good,” he admits. He doesn’t know that he would necessarily be punished for it, but they would certainly be mad. Normally in a situation like that, Yunho would likely be the one they would try to punish, not San, but it’s not like there’s anything his parents could do to Yunho. 

“Then is this wise?” Yunho asks. “Look what they did to my mother and me. Are you sure you’d be safe from them?” 

“I mean, probably?” San scratches at the back of his head. “And it’s not like I ever said this was wise or that I thought it was. It’s just what I want.” 

Sighing, Yunho picks himself up to his feet. “What you want isn’t necessarily easy to have,” he points out. “My mother’s punishment carried on to me. Apparently to protect someone. There’s no way they’d ever accept me back into their fold. And do you think this is the kind of life you were meant to have?” He looks around his own little cabin. He’s content here, but he knows that it’s not for everyone. Jongho hated his time out here, and he supposes that there’s a reason banishment to the outlands is considered a punishment. 

San looks around his cabin as well. “It’s not too bad,” he tries to deny. 

Yunho shakes his head because San clearly doesn’t understand. “You don’t get it. It doesn’t seem so bad because you come every once in a while. You don’t live this life day in and day out. You wouldn’t like it.” 

“How would you know that?” San challenges, reaching out to grab Yunho by the arm when the alpha tries to walk past him. 

“Because no one does,” the alpha says. “Not my mom, not Jongho. No one likes it.” 

“I thought you liked it.” 

Yunho shrugs his shoulders, unsure of how to answer that anymore. “I don’t know. It’s never really bothered me before. It’s all I’ve ever known, but it’s not as if I like it,” he says. He pries San’s hand off of his arm. “All I’m saying is that you should think about this,” he suggests. 

“I have thought about this,” San insists as he scrambles to his feet. Yunho only pulled away from him, but he’s suddenly terrified that the alpha will somehow abandon him. 

“I don’t think you’ve thought about this enough,” Yunho says. 

San furrows his eyebrows together in confusion, “I don’t understand what you want from me.” 

Yunho is quiet for a moment before he finally says, “Certainty.” The omega blinks at his response, partly because it’s unexpected and partly because it’s not much of an answer. “I don’t want to give this a chance if I know it’s never going to work out. It _is_ lonely out here. The more I see you, the more I start to miss you when you’re away. I don’t want to give myself false hope.” 

“I’m not trying to give you false hope,” San defends. 

“I know that,” Yunho acknowledges. “And I believe that, but just because that isn’t your intention doesn’t mean that it’s not the reality that we’re facing. Just tell me that we have a chance and I’ll believe you.” He stares down at the omega, searching for an answer that San just doesn’t know he can give. 

“We can figure something out,” he says. 

Yunho presses his lips into a thin line, not nearly satisfied with San’s answer. There’s not much San’s parents could take from him. They couldn’t take away his status or his belongings, but they could take away San, and Yunho doesn’t know if he’s prepared for that. He tells the omega as much. 

“Then if you’re scared that I can be taken from you at least give me a chance,” San argues, eyes falling to the ring around Yunho’s finger. “You _should_ be of the same rank as Captain, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t be considered a good match.” 

The alpha shakes his head in disagreement. “What I should be does not equate to what I am. I’m Unmarked, San. And I’ve never felt it as prominently as I have now.” 

“I can make it work,” San assures him. “Just give me some time to work it out.” 

Against his better judgement, Yunho nods his head in agreement. “Okay,” he agrees. “I’ll trust you.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a lot longer for me to finish than I thought but I've been having a rough time so I apologize ;n; I still dunno how I feel about this story either lol

What, exactly, San plans to do is a little beyond him. It’s less a matter of what he plans to do and more the issue that he doesn’t know what he can do. Exactly what options are available to him in this situation? San isn’t sure. Asking his parents to simply bestow Yunho’s rightful birth rank seems out of the question, but what other options are available to him? 

His task is made all the more difficult because when San returns—in spite of all his washing and his attempt to rid himself of any evidence of Yunho’s rut—his brother is clearly alarmed by the unknown alpha scent that clings to him. 

“Who is that?” Seonghwa pesters him, following his brother around as San desperately tries to escape the alpha’s watchful gaze. 

“Who is what?” San plays dumb even as he tries to discreetly sniff at himself. He knows that the scent of a rut is strong, but he’d been very particular and thorough when he bathed himself, specifically so that he could avoid this kind of situation. 

Seonghwa appears affronted by his question. “Whose scent is that?” he demands. “I can smell someone’s rut clinging to you.” 

Alright, so denial isn’t working. San opts for a different tactic. “So? Am I not allowed to spend time with an alpha in a rut? It’s not like I’m mated.” 

Seonghwa pauses, considering his brother’s words for a moment. He has a point, of course. It’s not like San was breaking any rules or going against traditions. It’s just that Seonghwa doesn’t know who else San might possibly help through a rut besides the Captain, and he’s just a little alarmed that he doesn’t recognize this alpha’s scent at all. Exactly who is San spending his time with? 

He figures it’s the alpha San’s been working on courting. The one Seonghwa is a little worried about because he has no idea who he is. His brother has really given him almost no clue as to who it might be. “You know, Mom is getting anxious about you,” he tells his brother. “She’s been talking to the General’s mate. They want to try and push forward with the mating ceremony between you and Captain.” 

San chokes on his own spit. “What? I told her that I didn’t want to mate with him!” 

Seonghwa rolls his eyes at his brother’s naivete. “Yeah, but you haven’t given her an alternative. She thinks he’s the only one who can be your mate.” 

“That’s not true,” San scoffs. “I found a good alpha. He’s the same rank as Captain too!” San winces right after he says that because it’s only technically true. 

It does catch his brother’s attention though. “Who?” the alpha asks, confused because he doesn’t know who San could be talking about, and he knows everyone who would be at the same rank as the Captain. 

“Well, like he would be the same rank,” San amends. “Look, it’s complicated! I’ll explain it to you someday. I swear, just let me figure this out for now? I’m trying to think of the best way to break the news to Mom and Dad and introduce him, you know?” 

Sighing, Seonghwa places his hands on his hips and regards his brother critically. “You know, I’m on your side, San,” he tells the omega. “I would help if you just told me what I could do to help you.” 

“I don’t need help,” San insists. 

Seonghwa shakes his head, lips pulling into a frown. “That’s a blatant lie. You don’t want to tell me for some other reason.” 

San turns his head away, too ashamed to meet his brother’s gaze because Seonghwa is right. There is a reason San won’t tell him anything or ask for his help, and it’s that he’s fairly certain even his own brother wouldn’t exactly be impressed by his ideal mate. “I’ll tell you,” he promises his brother anyways. “I just need a little more time to sort things out.” 

Seonghwa narrows his eyes but lets his brother off the hook for now. He does leave the omega with one final reminder that, “I can’t keep Mom off your case forever if you don’t give me something to tell her instead.” 

“I know,” San acknowledges. “I know you’ve been helping me with her, and I am really grateful for it. I’m just not ready to tell anyone yet.” 

“Why? What is there to keep from us?” 

“A lot,” San mumbles. “I’ll tell you in due time.” 

Seonghwa sighs but relents his pressure on his brother. There’s another option he’s been thinking of pursuing anyways. He knows that San is entitled to his privacy, and he wants to respect that, but the longer this goes on the more worried the alpha becomes. 

When he finally leaves his brother, Seonghwa decides to confront the only person he thinks might know something. Hongjoong isn’t all that surprised when Seonghwa comes by his little hut although he is a bit bashful when he welcomes the alpha inside. “What brings you here?” he asks as he tucks his hair behind his ear. He presses his lips into a thin line to hide his smile. 

Seonghwa had been coming by quite often lately to visit the omega. It had been more than a little confusing at first. Hongjoong had figured that the alpha had merely come by to ask about his brother, and at first that’s all it had been. The alpha would come by occasionally to talk to the omega about his troublemaker brother, and their conversations would take off from there. Then the alpha started to bring gifts along with him every once in a while. Hongjoong had been shocked to say the least. 

Initially he wanted to refuse. He didn’t understand why Seonghwa would gift him anything. Plus it felt wrong to take. Not only was Hongjoong interested in a different alpha at the time, Seonghwa was even more out of his league than the Captain was. Of course it was because of his rank that Hongjoong ended up accepting the gift despite his initial worries, scared that Seonghwa would perceive his refusal as rude. 

Since then, Hongjoong has gradually learned to accept the alpha’s gifts, and he basks in the attention the future Head Alpha pays him even as he remains utterly baffled by Seonghwa’s apparent affection for him. All this to say Hongjoong isn’t really surprised to see Seonghwa, although his nerves do flare a little when he notices the rather serious expression on the alpha’s face. 

“Is something wrong?” he asks, the smile dropping from his lips. 

Seonghwa briefly looks up at him before turning his gaze away. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes in advance. “I wanted to talk to you about my brother.” 

Hongjoong blinks, curious as to why Seonghwa would apologize for wanting to talk about his brother. It’s not as if it was an uncommon topic between them. “Has something happened?” 

The alpha takes a deep breath. “He came home smelling of an alpha in a rut.” 

Hongjoong visibly startles at his complaint, eyes widening in surprise. “He did?” What a rather audacious thing to do. Hongjoong thought San was trying to keep Yunho a secret for the most part. “I mean, does your family not really like that kind of thing?” He’s not sure what it’s like for their family. Most people are generally more loose when it comes to this sort of thing. Hongjoong has personally helped Jongho through his rut a few times. Maybe Seonghwa’s family was a bit more conservative when it came to this kind of thing though. 

Seonghwa shakes his head. “It’s not that,” he denies. His brother was welcome to help any alpha through their rut. “I didn’t recognize the scent. I figure it’s likely this alpha he’s been trying to court, but that’s the problem.” Hongjoong maintains a carefully blank expression as Seonghwa turns his inquisitive gaze towards him. “I’m afraid I will simply have to be blunt here. Do you know who this alpha is?” 

Hongjoong is at a loss of words. “I....” 

“I would ask that you tell me who it is,” Seonghwa demands. 

Hongjoong hesitates. “That’s—” he doesn’t know what to say. “San hasn’t told you who it is?” he asks instead. 

“San refuses to say anything,” Seonghwa admits. “I’m concerned.” 

The omega laughs nervously. “I don’t think you have anything to be concerned about,” he assures the alpha. Then he quickly tries to change the subject. “Can I get you something to drink?” 

“Hongjoong,” Seonghwa cuts in seriously, giving the omega pause. “The only thing I want to know is who this alpha is. Will you tell me?” 

The omega is silent for a good minute, gaze cast down as he carefully thinks through his answer. “Why would you think I know anything?” he finally settles on saying. 

“Because,” Seonghwa says matter-of-factly, “he’s come to you for help making courting gifts, has he not? Certainly you must be privy to who it is he’s interested in, no?” Hongjoong bites down on his bottom lip. He does know, but he doesn’t want to say because it doesn’t feel like his place to out San like this. 

“He likes a good alpha,” he finally settles on saying. 

Seonghwa raises his eyebrows at that bold statement. “You know him?” 

Hongjoong furiously shakes his head. “Not personally, no.” 

“Then you’ve met him?” 

The omega scratches the back of his head, unsure of how to answer that. “Well, I—yes. Once.” 

Pleased with the information, Seonghwa crosses his arms over his chest and regards the omega. “Who is it?” 

“I don’t think it’s my place to tell,” Hongjoong pleads in a strained voice. He doesn’t want to give up San’s secret. They agreed not to, and anyways Hongjoong has grown fond of the younger omega. He knows why San is keeping this a secret, and, although he has mixed feeling about it personally, it’s not his decision to make. If this is what San wants, than who is Hongjoong to tell him that he’s wrong? 

Seonghwa straightens himself up, towering over the omega in a way that he feels bad, but he has no other choice. “Hongjoong,” he speaks the omega’s name with such seriousness that it surprises even himself. “I would have you tell me.” 

Hongjoong’s lips tremble at the alpha because it’s the first time in a long while that the omega can say that he’s fearful of the alpha. “Okay,” he relents when the alpha advances on him. “I’ll tell you who it is.” 

  
  
  
  


San is more than a little shocked that when he next ventures out to Yunho’s cabin on the hill that there is someone waiting there as well. Not just anyone, though, it’s Seonghwa. He’d come up to see Yunho because he thought he might have an idea of how to make this work, and figured they could maybe talk about it. Seonghwa is the last person he would have ever expected to see here, and his heart leaps into his throat at the sight of his brother because what on earth would possess Seonghwa to come all the way out here? How did he even know? 

San stiffens because he knows there’s really only one answer to those questions. Seonghwa knew. He must know. 

San’s suspicions are only confirmed when he spies Hongjoong by his brother’s side. The omega’s head is lowered, chin tucked to his chest, although he startles when San approaches them. “San,” the older omega squeaks out when he sees him. 

Seonghwa tears his eyes away from Yunho’s cabin to look at his brother. “Ah. I didn’t expect to see you here, but I guess I’m not very surprised.” 

San slows his pace as he draws closer to his brother, his lips pulled into a frown as his eyes move between Seonghwa and Hongjoong. He doesn’t say anything when he reaches them. He doesn’t have to because there’s nothing he can say anyways. They all know why they’re here. 

“I’m sorry,” Hongjoong blurts out like he wants to try and at least clear the air before the brothers can start the conversation they clearly need to have. “I know I shouldn’t have said anything, but—” 

“It’s not his fault,” Seonghwa cuts in, coming to the omega’s defense. “He tried to protect you.” 

San stares up at his brother with a tight expression on his face. “I never thought it was his fault,” he says. Then he looks over to the gate. It’s still closed, so either they’ve just been standing there waiting for someone, or Yunho isn’t home. “So Hongjoong told you everything?” 

The omega winces at the accusation, shrinking behind Seonghwa as he turns away from San in shame. “He told me what he knows,” Seonghwa agrees. 

“And he brought you here,” San notes. 

“I brought him here,” Seonghwa corrects. “I knew who this alpha was as soon as Hongjoong told me you were interested in an Unmarked alpha. I knew where to find him.” 

San sucks in a breath, a little annoyed with his brother. “Why bring Hongjoong with you then?” 

Seonghwa smiles cryptically at him, and San absolutely hates that he honestly can’t tell what his brother is thinking right now. Is he pissed? Disappointed? Resigned? San honestly can’t tell. “We’re having an outing together,” he answers. San can’t help but cock his eyebrow at his brother’s answer. “Besides, I thought that if I were to confront this Unmarked alpha, it might help to have someone he at least knows with me.” 

“You didn’t ask me to come with you,” San points out. 

“Admittedly I was hoping to talk to him without you around. I see that won’t be possible though.” 

“Why?” San demands. “What did you want to tell him while I wasn’t around? Were you going to threaten him not to see me?” 

Seonghwa frowns at his brother’s tone. “Don’t be so defensive,” he admonishes San. “I wasn’t going to threaten anybody. I was simply going to ask him to consider letting you down.” 

Even though San expected this to be Seonghwa’s response to the whole thing, he’s still disappointed to hear it from his brother. “I thought you were on my side,” he spits out, half trying to guilt the alpha and half just wanting to express his anger. 

Seonghwa bites down on his tongue to hold back a snappy retort. “I am on your side,” he assures his brother. “It’s because I’m on your side that I’m trying to do this.” 

“You said—” 

“Don’t try to twist any of my words against me,” he barks out before San can even finish his thought. “I understand that you don’t want to mate the Captain, and I’m happy to see you mate someone that you actually like, but you must think about some of your choices, San. You’re not just an omega who can have what they want without any consequences. Anyone else could have been okay. Maybe Mom would have thrown a fit, but I’m sure she would have accepted it if you really liked him, but _this_ alpha? Have you lost your mind? Did you even think about it?” 

San’s lips curl back into a snarl. “Why? Because he’s Unmarked? He shouldn’t even be!” the omega protests, stomping his foot into the ground. “If he were Marked he’d be the same as—” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Seonghwa cuts him off. “He should be Unmarked. Bar that, it’s not about his rank! It’s bad enough that you don’t want to mate with the Captain, no, that you go out of your way to antagonize him, but now you want to mate with this alpha? You _know_ who he is!” 

“So?” San shrieks back. “If anything that should make it more acceptable!” 

Seonghwa scrubs his face with his hands, frustrated by his brother’s stubborn streak. “San, just think for a moment, would you? I know that you think you’re immune to everything because of our family, but don’t think for one second that if the General wanted to turn around and ruin us he could. You’ll surely make him angry by rejecting his son. You’ll definitely incite his wrath if you pursue this.” 

San is actually at a loss of words from that, and he finally backs down from his brother. He grapples with what Seonghwa is insinuating. “And what’s to stop us from doing the same?” he finally counters. “Why are we so afraid of what he can do to us when he’s the one with an illegitimate child?” 

Hongjoong’s eyes widen. He’d mostly relegated himself quietly listening to the brothers, knowing full well that it wasn’t really his place to talk. This, though, this he hadn’t been expecting. 

“Imagine what kind of scandal that would cause. _He_ would be the one who’s ruined.” 

Seonghwa stares at his brother consideringly for a brief moment. His brother brings up a good point except for one glaring issue. “Who do you think the people would believe or side with in that case?” he challenges. “You’re talking about an Unmarked. Even if you told people the truth, do you think they’d side with you?” 

“Then what would you have me do?” San demands, fingers clenching into fists as he tries to control his frustration. 

“Don’t pursue this,” Seonghwa advises. “This isn’t wise.” 

“That’s not fair,” San protests. “I can’t have this because of politics?”

Seonghwa shrugs his shoulders and parts his lips to tell his brother that he’s sorry but that’s just how things are. He’s unable to get the words out because someone intrudes on them. San picks up his scent before he sees Yunho, and he swallows thickly when he turns to face the Unmarked alpha. A heavy weight sits in the pit of his stomach, and his mouth feels like it’s filled with ash. 

The alpha just stares at him before his gaze moves over to Seonghwa and Hongjoong, and his lips pull down into a frown. “You just keep bringing new people over,” he remarks. In his hand he’s holding a couple of rabbits he must have caught in his traps, and he has a basket strapped to his shoulders, filled with materials he likely gathered. 

“You must be Yunho,” Seonghwa remarks, eyes narrowing as he watches the Unmarked approach. Yunho stops beside San. He doesn’t touch the omega, perhaps sensing Seonghwa’s rising hostility, but the omega still finds it comforting. Yunho looks over the alpha in front of him, taking note of his Markings in particular. They look a lot like San’s when the omega applies his Marks just before he leaves, only his are red in color as opposed to San’s usual white. “I’m San’s brother,” he says. 

Yunho looks to San who confirms it with a slight nod of his head. Then the Unmarked turns back to Seonghwa. “What do you want?” he asks. 

Seonghwa trails his eyes down Yunho’s form, taking particular note of the necklace he’s wearing. “I was hoping we could talk,” he says, motioning to Yunho’s gate. 

Yunho’s expression sours at the suggestion that he should invite them inside, however, he begrudgingly complies. He puts away the items he had gone out to gather as Seonghwa makes himself comfortable in Yunho’s front room. San practically glues himself to his brother’s side, the two of them speaking in harsh whispers. Yunho can’t pick up on what they’re saying, and he doesn’t really care, but he snorts when he sees Hongjoong straining to listen in on their conversation while trying to appear like he’s giving them a respectful distance. 

“Seonghwa!” San screeches his brother’s name after what appeared to be a particularly heated debate between them. “Please, don’t.” 

“San, it’s time you start thinking for yourself. I already explained the problem. What do you not understand?” 

“I don’t understand why we can’t use that against them,” San argues. 

Yunho tilts his head as he considers San’s words. He doesn’t really know what they're talking about, but it definitely doesn’t seem to be in the same vein as Yunho would have figured. Completely out of his depth, Yunho figures perhaps it’s time to interrupt. They are discussing him after all. 

“What did you want to talk about?” he asks as he approaches the brothers. He holds up a small hand-made teacup his mother had made to Seonghwa who tentatively accepts the drink. 

“Well, you see,” Seonghwa pauses to glance over to his brother who gives him a meaningful look. Sighing, the alpha looks down at the tea in his cup and takes a small whiff of it. It’s not a brew that he’s familiar with, but it has a very nice scent to it. Deep and earthy. He takes a sip before he continues. “I suppose I don’t want to talk so much as I have a request for you,” he amends. 

“Seonghwa,” San hisses, “don’t say anything.” 

“I’d like to hear what he has to say,” Yunho says, smiling ruefully when San looks at him with wide, fearful eyes. He looks back at the Marked alpha. “So say it. What’s on your mind?” 

Seonghwa presses his lips into a thin line. “Don’t misunderstand me,” he says before he even voices his opinion. “You’re Unmarked, and while that should be the factor that primarily bothers me, it’s not. Understand that I am sympathetic to the circumstances surrounding the reason that you are Unmarked, but I would humbly ask that you reject my brother. He’s simple minded and does not fully understand the consequences of his actions. Therefore I would ask that you tell him to stop. He’s not a good mate for you, and you are not a good mate for him.” 

Yunho narrows his eyes at the alpha’s request and he kneels down in front of him. Folding his arms over his chest, Yunho regards the Marked alpha in front of him curiously. From what little he knows or can gather at least, this alpha is perhaps the highest ranked one in the village, and yet he is oddly respectful despite his suggestion that Yunho isn’t a good option for his brother. 

He holds his hand out to the alpha, showing off the ring of his finger. “I tried to tell your brother to leave me alone multiple times already,” he tells him. “It didn’t work. In fact, it had the opposite effect.” Seonghwa’s jawline tightens as he stares at the ring on the Unmarked alpha’s finger. “I want this. I want your brother.” He pulls his hand back and shrugs his shoulders, not really all that apologetic. 

Seonghwa purses his lips together, disappointed by Yunho’s response. “Do you know who you are?” 

Yunho regards the alpha warily. “What do you mean?” he asks. 

“You’re the General’s illegitimate son,” Seonghwa tells him. He doesn’t notice how Hongjoong perks up at his words, “Right now the only person who most people find acceptable to be my brother’s mate is the Captain. Your half-brother.” Yunho’s eyes narrow, and he curls his hands into fists. “Surely you can understand what I’m implying,” Seonghwa pleads. “It would cause a riot if word gets out that San is pursuing the Captain’s unknown, Unmarked half-brother.”

“And is it my fault that that’s who I am?” Yunho scoffs in response. “I never even saw myself as anything other than my mother’s son until recently. What do I care who’s son I am?” 

Seonghwa’s nostrils flare in frustration. “No, I suppose _you_ don’t have to worry about it, but San does. Or he should.” He glances at his brother with a tight expression. “Maybe this issue means nothing to you. It probably does mean nothing to you, and I understand. Trust me, I don’t necessarily think that your punishment is fitting of your crime, so to speak, but if you truly do like my brother you would do this for him.” 

Yunho stubbornly remains silent, but Seonghwa can tell that he’s thrown the alpha into conflict with himself. He presses on that advantage. “Or would you have him live this life with you?” he makes a large sweeping motion over the Unmarked alpha’s cabin. It does the trick because Yunho looks stricken by his remark, and he shrinks back as he scans his cabin. 

Of course it’s by no means luxurious. Yunho is often strapped for materials either due to not being able to gather it or not having the time, but he’s done his best with the upkeep. As much as he can to keep it functional. 

San steps in to his defense, “Seonghwa, would you shut it?” He bares his teeth at his brother who mirrors his expression. 

“Be realistic, San,” Seonghwa begs. “If you don’t want to mate with the Captain, I understand. And I will always be your advocate, but I can’t help you in this case. Neither Mom nor Dad would accept you rejecting the Captain to pursue Yunho, and I can’t advocate for you. Not with him.” 

Hongjoong bites back a scoff but can’t stop himself from muttering, “maybe you should listen to your own advice.” He jumps when both brothers turn their attention to him. 

“What?” Seonghwa asks. It’s clear it didn’t actually hear Hongjoong’s words, just heard him speak, and the omega sighs in relief. 

“Nothing,” he squeaks out, looking away from them. “I was just thinking out loud.” 

“About what?” 

Hongjoong laughs nervously, eyes briefly meeting Yunho’s over Seonghwa’s shoulder, and his blood runs cold at the alpha’s gaze. He heard. Yunho definitely heard what he said. “I was just thinking about—” he hesitates for a split second, “—how you could let him prove himself in The Chase.” 

Everyone goes quiet at his suggestion. San brightens up at the idea while Seonghwa seems troubled. Yunho’s expression is unreadable, though, maybe because he knows that’s not at all what Hongjoong actually said. 

“That’s a good idea!” San says in delight. 

“It’s terrible,” Seonghwa retorts. “He’s Unmarked. He’s not allowed to participate.” 

“Can’t you make an exception for him?” Hongjoong suggests. “You’re the next Head Alpha. You have authority over this, don’t you?” 

Seonghwa purses his lips in frustration. He hadn’t expected everyone to take this alpha’s side. “I could, but Father would just veto the motion. He won’t let an Unmarked participate.” 

“I think we could make this an exception,” San insists. “Think about it. They’re both the General’s son. There’s no better reason to let the Captain prove himself over his Unmarked half-brother, right?” He stumbles over the Captain’s name, clearly put off by the idea of proving himself but trying his best to appease his brother. Or at least practice his argument. 

“And why would they even bother allowing that to happen?” Seonghwa challenges. “They don’t have to entertain you or Yunho. If they wanted to, they could mate you off to the Captain.” 

San straightens himself up and squares his shoulders as he places his hands on his hips. “And if I go around declaring that Yunho is the only mate for me? I can quickly disseminate that kind of information throughout the _whole_ village if I really want to,” he threatens. 

Seonghwa actually looks a little scared by his brother’s threat. “You wouldn’t,” he says nervously. 

“If that’s what it takes,” San shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly. 

Sighing, Seonghwa massages his temples with his fingers. Nothing about this is going the way he had hoped and planned for, and now he has this headache to deal with. A little annoyed, his eyes move over towards Hongjoong, petulantly blaming the omega for this mess, but Hongjoong has disappeared. Lifting his head up, Seonghwa looks around for the omega, but Hongjoong is nowhere to be found. 

  
  
  
  


Truthfully, Hongjoong hadn’t known what to make of Seonghwa when the alpha had begun this odd mating ritual of his. There wasn’t anything about his actions that were particularly odd, but his choice definitely counted as bizarre. The omega had been scared—scared to reject the alpha outright for fear of some kind of retribution—but he had also been incredibly confused. The first gift he figured was just a sign of gratitude. 

Seonghwa often came by to pester him about his brother, sometimes apologizing before he left. He thought maybe the first one had simply been a polite gesture to indicate his appreciation for Hongjoong’s patience with him. But then they kept coming, each more extravagant than the last, and Hongjoong thought he must have been interpreting this wrong. There was no way. 

His confusion only heightened from there. He didn’t want to jump to any conclusions for a number of reasons. For one, Hongjoong hadn’t been interested in Seonghwa. As silly and stupid as it was, his heart and affection had belonged to the Captain at the time. More than that, Hongjoong did not, under any circumstances, want to presume that these were courting gifts. Not when they were coming from Seonghwa—the future Head Alpha. 

It became harder for Hongjoong to deny the alpha’s motivation as time passed, however, although Hongjoong is ashamed to say that he didn’t have the courage to tell the alpha that he should stop. Hongjoong wasn’t interested in him, and he didn’t want the alpha to waste his time. He didn’t really want the alpha to waste anything on him. Hongjoong wasn’t an omega that was worth pursuing, especially for someone of his status. 

He would probably attribute that thought to his shock when he told Seonghwa as much, and Seonghwa had merely acknowledged that he was right, but that he wouldn’t stop. “I know,” he said, dipping his head low as he draped a new set of furs over the omega’s shoulders. He’d been careful to try and not overwhelm the omega with gifts. Given his current living condition, it wasn’t like Hongjoong could really afford to store too many furs, but Seonghwa had felt compelled to replace at least some of them when the omega had off-handedly remarked that none of the ones he had were courting gifts. 

“A friend and your brother gave me most of them,” he explained when Seonghwa had asked. The alpha had been a little alarmed when he’d seen the furs, worried that Hongjoong might have been in the process of courting someone, but the omega had laughed and waved him off. “There are no alphas who would be interested in me. They could do better.” It was meant as a joke, but Seonghwa hadn’t thought it particularly funny, and Hongjoong didn’t seem to love his own joke all that much either. 

This one was much thinner, though, made for the warmer months, and a type of fur Hongjoong was clearly lacking. It wasn’t necessary, but Seonghwa wanted him to have a set nevertheless. “I wonder why I like you so much,” he remarked. 

Hongjoong frowned but pulled the furs closer to himself. “Your parents would be horrified,” he remarked. 

Seonghwa ran his fingers down the furs he draped over Hongjoong’s shoulders. “Certainly they would protest,” he acknowledged, “but it’s not as if there is any rule saying that I can’t be your mate.” 

Hongjoong’s heart rate picked up at the alpha’s words, not only because it was the clearest Seonghwa had been about his intentions so far, but because it had given him hope. His affection for the alpha started that day and had only grown with the days since. Seonghwa was better than he could ever hope for. 

And maybe that’s the problem. 

Maybe Hongjoong had gotten a little too carried away with his hope. 

Seonghwa finds Hongjoong hiding from them in what he presumes to be a storeroom of some sort. The omega startles when Seonghwa opens the door to his little hideout, and he quickly averts his eyes from the alpha. Quietly, Seonghwa closes the door behind them.

“What was that about?” he asks when it becomes quickly obvious that Hongjoong isn’t about to say anything. 

The omega runs his fingers over a wooden crate in the room to keep his mind off of the alpha standing across from him. “What do you mean?” he asks. 

Seonghwa narrows his eyes. Normally he finds Hongjoong rather cute, but this kind of behavior is decidedly not cute in his opinion. “You taking Yunho’s side completely and suggesting he participate in The Chase to prove himself worthy of my brother.” 

“It was just a suggestion,” Hongjoong defends. “It’s not like I’m taking his side. Besides, I thought that was practically the point of The Chase. For alphas below their rank to prove themselves worthy of a better mate.” His teeth dig rather viciously into his bottom lip. “Anyways, your brother really likes him, you know. I get where you’re coming from. The politics and everything. It doesn’t look good if Yunho really is the Captain’s half-brother, but why can’t you support them?” He finally looks up to meet Seonghwa’s gaze. “Don’t you feel sorry for them?” 

“I do, but that doesn’t change the optics of the matter,” Seonghwa reminds him in a strained voice. Seonghwa takes a step towards him, alarmed by how visibly upset the omega is with him. “What’s wrong? I don’t understand.” 

“Is this really about his heritage? Or is it about him being Unmarked?” Hongjoong asks. 

Seonghwa stumbles over his answer. “I mean, _both_. Hongjoong—” 

“So what? We just have to accept the fact that Yunho loses this lot in life because of who he was born to?” the omega asks, tears welling up in his eyes. “He doesn’t get to be the General’s son. He has to live his life as an Unmarked and can’t even have a chance with your brother because his mother was the same rank as me?” His voice cracks at the end, and Seonghwa freezes. Is that what this is about? 

Hongjoong looks to be on the verge of tears as he stares at the alpha reproachfully and asks, “Is that what I have to look forward to?” 

Seonghwa’s words get caught in his throat, and he can only blink at the omega. “What do you mean?” he finally asks when all his other words fail him. 

The omega laughs, the sound humorless and hollow, and Seonghwa winces at the sound. “People talk, you know,” he tells the alpha. “The markets are filled with gossip. I’d never heard of her before, but I asked around after I found out from Yunho that his Mom was banished. I know she was the same rank as me.” He curls his fingers into fists, nails digging into the palms of his hands. “And what was her crime? That she had a relationship with a higher status alpha? People say that she was in the wrong for pursuing him so relentlessly, but to me it clearly must have been consensual. She bore his child!” 

“The circumstances surrounding Yunho’s birth were an exception,” Seonghwa says, but Hongjoong shakes his head, unwilling to listen to him. 

“Your family banished her for life. And her son along with her.” Hongjoong says harshly. “Because she was an omega trying to mate far outside her rank.” He looks down at the crates before him, suddenly regretting all the times he’d been stupid enough, hopeful enough to accept one of Seonghwa’s gifts. Maybe he should have thought things through more. “What would they do to me?” 

“Hongjoong—” Seonghwa tries to console him, but the omega only pulls back from the alpha when he approaches, eyes filled with suspicion. 

“ _Don’t_ ,” the omega pleads as he shrinks back from the alpha. “Please, just don’t. Just stop. I won’t speak for your brother, but this is not the life I want. I’d rather be unmated but Marked than be Unmarked because I actually believed I could be your mate.” 

Seonghwa winces at Hongjoong’s words, but the omega refuses to feel bad about it, reminding himself that the alpha’s hurt feelings are nothing compared to the risk Hongjoong is facing. “I appreciate it,” he tells the alpha as if that might lessen the blow. “Thank you for everything. Thank you for liking me, but please leave me alone.” 

“Hongjoong,” Seonghwa says the omega’s name in a plea. He wants a chance to try and explain, to reassure the omega that it isn’t as hopeless as he thinks. Yunho and his mother were different. Hiding them from the village was the entire point of the punishment. Hongjoong might face disapproval, but Seonghwa never thought for one second that he would face the same risk. He could protect him. 

But Hongjoong doesn’t give him the opportunity, lips curling up into a rueful smile. “I’m not a good mate for you,” he says, and Seonghwa freezes as he stares at the omega. “So just...leave me be.” He pushes past the alpha, ducking out of the door. Seonghwa makes a noise of alarm and takes off after him. When he leaves the storage room to follow the omega, he’s stopped by a hand on his elbow. 

He turns to face his brother who shakes his head at him. “Leave him alone for now,” he advises his brother. Seonghwa presses his lips together in a thin line but appears to take his brother’s advice because he stays put. San smiles at his brother. “We both have problems, don’t we?” 

“I…” Seonghwa is at a loss for words, watching as Hongjoong crashes headlong into Yunho who peeks down at the omega curiously. Hongjoong only shoves the alpha away before ducking out of the front door. Yunho’s eyes travel to the brothers, meeting San’s gaze before he tips his head forward in acknowledgement. Then he follows after Hongjoong. “Talk to him for me?” he asks his brother, tearing his gaze away to look at San. 

His brother frowns at him. “And what could I tell him? That everything will be okay?” San sighs, linking his hands together behind his back. “Hongjoong is too fatalistic—not that I can really blame him. He’s a low-born omega, Seonghwa. You must know what it’s like for them.” 

“I can protect him,” Seonghwa argues. 

“Can you?” San challenges. “You’re not the Head Alpha yet, and you know Mom and Dad would be furious with your choice. Maybe even more so at you than me.” He laughs hollowly, tilting his head back against the wall. “At least they know I’m a troublemaker. They always thought of you as being the perfect son. Doesn’t that include mating with class?” 

Seonghwa narrows his eyes at the omega. “Are you saying Hongjoong has no class?” 

“I’m not saying anything about him,” San denies. “I’m reminding you what the Marks say about him. They’d banish him if they thought it would steer you away from him, and you know it.” 

“They wouldn’t do it for life, though! What happened to Yunho’s mother was—”

“Who cares!” San shrieks before his brother can finish. “Who cares if it’s for one week or for life? Do you think he does? Maybe he’s low-born, but at least he’s _Marked_. Not everyone can handle being out here whether it’s permanent or not. Why do you think we use it as a punishment?” 

“What would you have me do then?” Seonghwa grits out. He’s angry and frustrated, but he knows San is right. Seonghwa could protect Hongjoong but only in the future. 

San sucks in a deep breath, his trembling fingers betraying his own nerves. “We should help each other,” he suggests. 

“San, Yunho is not—”

“He’s the only one for me,” the omega says resolutely. “I know that he’s Unmarked, and I know what it means that he’s the General’s illegitimate son, but he’s a good person and a good alpha. If it’s not the same for you then leave Hongjoong alone and find a higher status omega to mate with.” When he looks over at his brother Seonghwa seems appalled by the notion, and the omega has to bite back a smile. They really were problematic. “Otherwise, let’s work together.” 

Seonghwa breathes in deep but is silent for a long moment. San patiently waits it out, eyes transfixed on the door where Yunho and Hongjoong disappeared from. He hates to admit it, but at this point he probably has to rely on his brother to be his ally if this will work for him and Yunho. “Okay,” Seonghwa finally agrees. 

San perks up, eyes moving back to his brother. 

  
  
  
  


Yunho pauses and hesitates when he sees Hongjoong crumpled next to his tanning racks, arms wrapped tight around his legs and his forehead pressed to his knees. San’s silent plea had been obvious to him, though, so Yunho picks up what little courage he has and approaches the omega. 

“Are you okay?” he asks as he approaches. 

Hongjoong startles at the question and lifts his head up to look at Yunho towering over his frame. The omega jumps to his feet, lips trembling like he’s about to answer before he suddenly turns his nose up at the alpha. Yunho scoffs although he’s more amused than anything really. 

“Are you really going to be like this?” Yunho asks. “You’re suddenly going to adhere to your village’s rules that you can’t talk to me? We’re not all that different, are we?” 

Hongjoong whirls around to face him, expression bewildered. “We are not the same,” he sputters like the very notion horrifies him. “I am Marked. You are not. We are not the same.” 

Yunho smiles at him. “No, we are not the same,” he agrees. “I’m not scared to be Unmarked, nor do I particularly want to wear your Marks.” 

Hongjoong bristles a little at that. “You should,” he tells the alpha. “Being Unmarked is the lowest of the low. You are nobody. Nobody wants you!” 

It’s not meant so much as a direct attack on Yunho than it is a fact about his position in society, and Yunho doesn’t take it to heart anyways. The alpha just places his hands on his hips, his smile staying put on his face. “San wants me,” he points out. 

Hongjoong flounders. “It’s not fair,” he says once he finally has a hold of himself again. “You are Unmarked, so you have nothing to lose.” 

“Are you that scared of losing your Marks?” 

The omega reaches up to prod at his face like he’s worried he won’t be able to feel his Marks there. “They’re the only thing I have,” he says, breathing out a sigh of relief when he can still feel them, however scarce they may be. “Omegas like me...we don’t have much else. I guess your mother is proof of that.” 

Yunho flinches at his words although he feels conflicted. He thinks he should probably be angered by the omega’s words, but Hongjoong hadn’t sounded like he was trying to be rude. He sounded resigned more than anything. “How do you mean?” he asks, wanting to know what Hongjoong meant by his words. 

The omega scoffs, lips pulling up into the briefest of smiles before his expression drops. “If I had known her, I probably would have scolded her for trying to mate someone so clearly outside of her caste.” His lips curl up in distaste because he knows that’s what he would have done even as he is doing the same thing. “Everyone probably knew it wouldn’t end well, even her. But still, I can’t help but admire her bravery. She must have really liked the General.” 

Yunho is quiet for a long moment, digesting the omega’s words. “I don’t know,” he finally says in response. “She never talked about him much to be honest.” 

“Never?” Hongjoong asks. 

Yunho takes a deep breath as he recalls the few times she would ever talk about his father. She would never bring him up on her own, and most of the times he asked about it she often brushed it off. She never sounded as if she didn’t love the man, though, just that talking about him was painful. “Even knowing what I know now I can’t say I ever got the sense that she hated him for what he did to us, but I don’t know that she loved him either.” 

Hongjoong looks down at his feet, lips trembling as he seems torn between trying to smile and trying to frown. “There aren’t many prospects for omegas like us. Especially when it comes to a mate,” he tells Yunho. 

“Are there not low ranking alphas?” 

“There are, but even they won’t settle down with us,” Hongjoong says. “They have a chance for a better mate if they participate in The Chase. Why wouldn’t they take it? No, omegas like me, we have nothing but our Marks, and if that’s the only thing I can have I’ll do everything to keep it.”

Yunho tilts his head to the side, observing the distressed omega for a moment. It doesn’t seem right. Something feels off about this. What has Hongjoong so upset exactly? “San’s brother,” he finally concludes because, well, Hongjoong had been fleeing from him. “He likes you. Is that not quite literally the best you can do in terms of a mate?” 

“Your mother was banished for liking someone who ranked beneath him! What hope do I have?” Hongjoong bites out, a note of hysteria in his tone. “His family would never accept me. They’d never accept you either!” 

“Unless I proved myself,” Yunho adds. 

Hongjoong laughs, unsure if he wants to cry or scream at the alpha. How dense is he? Is he really that far gone for San? Is San really worth it? “I wasn’t even serious about that,” he says. “You’d never get the chance to prove yourself in a Chase. They’d never allow it. You’re Unmarked!” 

“But I could prove myself in it, couldn’t I?” Yunho challenges. 

Hongjoong swallows down the bile that rises in his throat and sneers at the alpha. “It must be nice being an alpha. Having a chance to prove your worth and mate beyond what you should be able to.” 

Despite his harsh words, Yunho appears unphased like all of the omega’s insults and complaints just roll off him. “Well, why can’t you?” 

Hongjoong’s expression blanks, all his mean words suddenly falling short as he stares at the alpha. “What?” he asks dumbly. 

“The Chase is to prove yourself, isn’t it? So chase down Seonghwa.” He makes a vague motion to the cabin behind him. “Between you and me, neither brother seems like they’d be very hard to catch.” 

Hongjoong stares at the alpha, certain that he must have lost it in his desperation for San. “That’s not—omegas can’t Chase. It’s against the rules.” 

Yunho doesn’t even miss a beat. “Then let Seonghwa chase you.” 

Hongjoong stutters, shying away from the alpha. “That’s not—That isn’t how any of this works.” 

“Why?” Yunho presses. “Is there a rule that says alphas can only chase omegas of a higher status than them?” 

“Well—” Hongjoong pauses as he thinks about it. Is there a rule? Hongjoong isn’t actually sure. That’s just how everyone plays the game. “What does that even matter? Even if it’s not a rule that’s how everyone plays.” 

“What if someone wanted to play it a different way?” Yunho suggests. 

“He wouldn’t do that,” Hongjoong denies, unwilling to even entertain the thought. “Seonghwa has his reputation to think about and his future as our Head Alpha. It’s the same with San, you know. Seonghwa is right. You aren’t a good choice for him mate wise. You should let him go.” 

Yunho’s shoulders tremble as he struggles to contain his growing rage. “Why should I?” he spits out. “Why should I respect what’s best for the village? What have they ever done for me? What have they ever done for you?” Hongjoong’s breath hitches at the challenge as Yunho sneers at him. “They let you wear those Marks? Is that all they’ve done for you? They let you wear those Marks that torture you so much.” 

“So what?” Hongjoong shrieks back at him. “I’d rather have that than be Unmarked! What would you have me do?” 

Yunho rolls his shoulders back and stares down at the omega before him. “Run with me,” he suggests. 

“What?” 

“Run with me in The Chase. Take what you want. You don’t owe them anything.” 

Hongjoong stares at him for a brief moment before he bursts into laughter. It’s a real, genuine laugh that has the alpha relaxing. “You’re so insane,” he remarks. 

“So what do you say?” Yunho asks. “Will you run with me?” 

Hongjoong’s gaze strays beyond the alpha’s shoulders to his cabin where the door opens. San steps out first, followed shortly by his brother. Truthfully, Hongjoong doesn’t think there’s anything to be gained by taking Yunho up on his suggestion. He’d just be embarrassing himself. Nevertheless, he admires the alpha for his own resolve. “If they let you run, I’ll think about running with you.” 

Yunho nods his head, accepting the omega’s answer. “Think about it,” he advises. “Maybe you’ll be surprised by what you get out of it.” 

  
  
  
  


Seonghwa presses his tongue to the back of his teeth as he considers his brother for a moment. San waits for him with an expectant expression on his face, toe tapping impatiently against the floor. “This is risky,” the alpha finally says. 

“I know,” San acknowledges. “I knew that I was taking a risk when I decided on Yunho.” 

Seonghwa sighs, a little frustrated with his brother. “Why him and not the Captain?” he laments. He doesn’t necessarily ask because he’s curious, but San chooses to answer him anyways. 

“Captain doesn’t respect me,” San pulls a face. “Yunho does.” He clears his throat when Seonghwa glares at him. “Anyways, he’s definitely better mate material. Maybe he doesn’t have access to the same items as us, but look at his ability to thrive in the outlands on his own. It’s more than the Captain would know how to do.” 

“You don’t have to defend yourself to me,” Seonghwa reminds his brother. “I understand Yunho is more than a capable alpha. It is Mom and Dad you’ll have to convince.” 

San purses his lips together in a thin line. “I know, but nothing I ever say will convince them. That’s why I think we should resort to this.” 

Seonghwa’s eyebrows knit together in concern. From an unbiased standpoint, San is right. The only way for him to get their parents to take this seriously is to play a little dirty and get the village on his side, but therein lies the problem in his plan—the part that Seonghwa can’t predict. “How do you know people will take your side? Most of them expect you to mate with the Captain.” 

“Just because they expect it doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily approve,” San challenges. “Besides, Yunho would be like an underdog in this scenario. He would be a tempting choice to root for.”

“He’s Unmarked, though. He’d be an equally easy target to dislike,” Seonghwa challenges. San frowns, considering his brother’s words. This isn’t an exercise so much in Seonghwa trying to dissuade his brother, but to keep him on his toes, refine his argument, _convince_ people to take his side. 

“His mother would be a sympathetic figure,” San finally says. “Most people have forgotten or never even heard of her because of Mom and Dad. Revealing his entire history would make him more sympathetic.” 

“And for the people who would criticize his mother for overstepping her bounds?” Seonghwa presses. 

“Yunho had no control over that,” San answers easily. “He was at the mercy of his parents, and regardless of what people might think of his mother, they all _know_ his father. The man who chose to abandon his son to a life in the outlands to protect his reputation.” San narrows his eyes and leans in towards his brother, “Surely that is something worth getting angry about.” 

Seonghwa folds his arms over his chest. “Most people would have quite a few things to say about that,” he agrees. 

San’s eyes flash with glee as a narrative already begins to unfold in his head. “What more could the common folk like to rally around?” he asks. “An outcast son who could regain his rightful position in the village because he caught the attention of the Head Alpha’s son?” 

Seonghwa holds in a laugh. It’s amusing the way his brother’s eyes twinkle like he already has this grand idea of how their story will be told through the ages. “It’s certainly enticing,” he acknowledges, “but not everyone will like it. There will be those that think he should stay where he is, or that, perhaps, he has done something to you to gain your favor.” 

“But if enough people like the story and talk about it?” 

Seonghwa nods his head. “It would be near impossible for Father to ignore. But that is a big if.” 

“I want to mate an Unmarked. I’m going to have to take risks,” San points out. 

The alpha bites down on his bottom lip although he has to agree with his brother’s words. He still doesn’t really know how he feels about this situation. The logical part of him dictates that San is making a mistake. Yunho isn’t worth this risk. Another part of him—the part that loves his brother and that’s equally dumb enough to desire Hongjoong—wishes this might work for his brother. It’s a small chance, but it’s a chance. 

“So, how exactly do you plan to spread this information?” he questions. 

San snaps his fingers and points to his brother. “I have a plan that doubles as a way to help you,” he assures his brother. Seonghwa cocks an eyebrow at his brother’s bold statement. His next instinct is to ask what San plans on doing, but he knows his brother better than that. San likes his secrets. 

  
  
  
  


When San barges his way into Hongjoong’s home one morning—the same way he just always does—Hongjoong is shocked to put it mildly. He’s also a little annoyed. He doesn’t really want to see San or anyone from his rank really. For the past couple of days, he’d been considering Yunho’s suggestion, rolling the proposition around in his head before he ultimately concluded that there was no way in hell Yunho would ever be allowed to run in The Chase, so there’s nothing to think about. 

He already resigned himself to swallow his desires and accept his place in the village. San is just a reminder of what he can’t have, and the bitter taste of hatred sits on the back of his tongue. It doesn’t help that he brings Wooyoung with him, an omega he is both unfamiliar with but who also far outranks him. An omega who would easily be considered a good match for Seonghwa. 

“What are you doing?” he asks, voice raised in alarm. He watches as San makes himself at home like Hongjoong’s living conditions aren’t completely incompatible with his. He beckons Wooyoung, who is much more hesitant, to join him, but the omega follows suit. 

“I’m here to ask a favor of you,” San tells him, waving Hongjoong over when the elder stays put near his door. “I also have something to give you in exchange.” 

Hongjoong curls his fingers into fists. He’s kind of sick of San’s deals. “I have what I need for this winter,” he says. It’s a lie. He’s definitely more prepared than ever for winter, but it’s not as if his food supply could be preserved indefinitely. “And I don’t have time to help you with whatever you want.” 

San looks over at him and waves him over again because Hongjoong hasn’t moved. “I think you have plenty of time to fulfill my request, and I’m not offering you something concrete,” he corrects the omega. “Just hear me out?” he pleads. 

Holding in a frustrated sigh, Hongjoong drags his feet over to the two omegas and slowly sinks to the ground before them. He folds his hands up neatly in his lap and lowers his head down. For all intents and purposes, he has no right to turn down San anyways. 

“Rule number one!” Wooyoung suddenly bursts out, reaching out to smack Hongjoong on his hands. It’s not painful, but it scares the omega who snaps his gaze up with wide eyes. Wooyoung only grins at him in return. “You should fold your hands like so.” He demonstrates by placing his right hand over his left, fingers relaxed as opposed to Hongjoong’s which are digging into his clothes. “Also, while you shouldn’t make eye contact with the Head Alpha or Head Omega, you don’t want to look like you’re trying to break your neck. You should look like this.” Once again Wooyoung demonstrates. His eyes are downcast, but he holds his head high. 

Hongjoong sputters. “Huh? The Head Alpha?” It’s about the only word he could cling to. “What are you talking about?” 

“I’m giving you advice on how to hold yourself in the presence of the Head Alpha,” Wooyoung tells him. 

“Oh? Are you?” Hongjoong’s eyes slowly move to San, and he tilts his head to the side in confusion. 

San grins at him. “The Marks you wear are certainly unfavorable, and, given nothing else, that is certainly all they will focus on. However, if you carry yourself like someone they would approve of like Wooyoung,” he nods his head towards his friend, “you’ll at least gain their attention. It might even be enough for them to look past your Marks.” 

For a long time Hongjoong is quiet, frozen in place as he slowly digests and processes San’s words. Then he finally scoffs in response. “Nothing would ever make them look past the Marks,” he says. 

San takes in a breath, puffing his chest out as he stares at the older omega. “Any attention you can get from them, whether good or bad, could work in your favor,” he argues. “All you have to be is memorable. Seonghwa can take care of the rest.” 

“That’s assuming I’m ready to take the risk and make a fool of myself in front of your parents,” Hongjoong hisses. 

“Aren’t you?” San challenges. “My brother is willing to stand behind you. Is that not enough?” 

Hongjoong sits back on his heels, temporarily subdued by San’s words. “You don’t get it,” he says once he’s able to gather his thoughts. “You think the risk is so great to you because of your position, but what about the risk to _me?_ I’d risk becoming _Unmarked_.” 

“I’m not denying the risk to yourself,” San corrects him. “I’m asking you to trust my brother to protect you from that. He can do it, but only if you meet him halfway. If you can’t be of a higher status, you have to at least act like you are.” 

Hongjoong swallows thickly. “I’d look like I’d be trying to go beyond my means.” 

“What’s wrong with that?” San asks. “I mean, you _are_. Embrace it. Show my parents that you are worthy. Make them forget, if only for a second, what Marks you bear.” 

Hongjoong meets his gaze. He’s still suspicious, but San can see that his resolve is shaking, and he’s pleased with Hongjoong’s response. He likes the omega, but, truthfully, he’d been a little worried about his brother’s desire to mate him not because he didn’t think Hongjoong was a bad mate because of his status but because he didn’t think Hongjoong was all that interested in being Seonghwa’s mate. 

“I believe that your brother is a good person,” he finally says. “But you are asking too much of me. I’m not a good choice of mate for your brother, and I don’t want to end up like Yunho. There must be better options for him.” His eyes briefly move over to Wooyoung before he averts his gaze. 

“That was different,” San denies. “She didn’t have support. Perhaps the General fancied her—I can’t say—but she never received any kind of support for a bid at being his mate. You have Seonghwa’s. And mine, if you would have it.” San scoots a little closer to him. “If you let us help you it would only serve to help you. I promise.” 

Hongjoong bites down on the inside of his cheek, thinking over San’s offer. “And in exchange?” he asks curiously, remembering that San still wanted something. He doesn’t know what else he could possibly do for San, but he has an inkling that whatever it is has something to do with Yunho. 

San brightens up, clearly pleased with Hongjoong. “I need you to start spreading rumors and information about Yunho,” he says with all seriousness. 

Hongjoong notices the way Wooyoung’s brows furrow together in confusion, and he takes a deep breath and considers San’s request. “Why me?” he asks. “You are the Head Alphas son, surely your word would mean more than mine.”

San nods his head in acknowledgement and folds his arms over his chest. “I have an implicit bias though. If I speak out on behalf of Yunho, the Captain and his family will merely respond in kind to discredit me and him. If it comes about organically, however, from ordinary people, it will be more believable. Besides, his mother was low ranking. He might find more sympathy among those in your caste rather than those in mine.”

“They might not like him still,” Hongjoong warns him. “Even if his mother was from a lower caste that won’t mean they accept him.” 

“I don’t need them to take my side,” he declares boldly despite clearly hesitating a second before. “I just need them to know who he is. I need them to acknowledge that he exists and that he is who we say he is. We have the truth on our side. I’m not worried about the rest.” He thought about it and decided that, while the support would certainly be helpful, it didn’t actually matter. The goal was simply to force him into the conversation so his parents wouldn’t just be able to brush him off when Seonghwa recommended him to participate in The Chase. 

Support didn’t matter now, although it would definitely mean something in the future. 

“I have a question,” Wooyoung interrupts, even raising his hand to draw attention to himself. San looks over to him, a barely restrained smile on his face. “Who the hell is Yunho?” 

“Uhhh,” Hongjoong looks to San for guidance. 

“You can practice with him,” the blond merely suggests. 

Frowning, Hongjoong looks at Wooyoung who stares at him, expression one of barely restrained curiosity. “He’s, well, um.” What the hell is he supposed to say exactly? “He’s an Unmarked alpha,” he says because it’s true. Wooyoung holds in a snort as San slaps a hand over his face, clearly disappointed in Hongjoong’s response. “What?” Hongjoong snaps defensively. “You said we have the truth on our side. That’s the truth!” 

“Why are you spreading rumors about an Unmarked alpha?” He asks, clearly trying to hold back his laughter. He thinks it’s a joke. 

Hongjoong thinks about how he’s going to spread information about Yunho. The alpha is actually quite a sympathetic figure in his opinion. Even if people don’t like his mother for some reason or another, he thinks at least Yunho deserves some sympathy. He didn’t choose who his parents were after all. 

“Over twenty years ago there was a woman who was banished to the outlands. Have you heard of her?”he asks. 

Wooyoung hesitates before nodding his head. “Hasn’t everyone?” he asks. 

“Do you know why she was banished?” 

Wooyoung pauses and blinks, clearly stumped by the question. He crosses his arms over his chest as he thinks about it. No specific reason comes to mind, but it can’t be that hard to guess, right? “Well, because she clearly did something wrong, right?” He looks to San for advice, but the blond shrugs his shoulders unhelpfully. “I mean, she must have broken some serious law, right?” 

Hongjoong licks his lips. Now is the part where things become unclear. No one knows the nature of their relationship except for the General himself. Yunho couldn’t even shed some insight into their relationship, but how he chooses to present this could make all the difference. 

He peeks up at San as if looking for guidance, but the blond omega only stares at him. Clearly this is on Hongjoong. How he chooses to tell the story is entirely up to him. “She was betrayed,” he finally says because in his heart he thinks it must be true. “She was tricked by the General. He fancied her, thought she was a cute omega, but he never intended to mate her obviously.”

Wooyoung narrows his eyes at Hongjoong’s words. “Well why would he? I heard she was low born.” He hesitates when he notices the Marks on Hongjoong’s face. “No offense,” he stutters out. 

“It’s fair,” Hongjoong agrees. “The status difference between them was so great. No one would ever expect him to choose her, especially because he already had a mate and a son on top of that. She was just an omega on the side when he wanted fun, right?” Wooyoung lowers his gaze in guilt. “But then she got pregnant with his child.” The omega lifts his eyes back up to stare at Hongjoong in shock. “That child would have taken the same rank as him even though she was low rank. What would have happened then?” 

“That—but he had a kid already,” Wooyoung stutters out, eyes widening in realization. “Are you saying this Unmarked alpha is his son?!” 

Hongjoong nods his head. “Yes. Punished to be an Unmarked since he was born because his Father wouldn’t acknowledge him.” Wooyoung’s lips part in shock. 

“You’re joking,” he says, practically begging for it to be true. 

“I’m telling you the truth,” Hongjoong says. “She was banished to the outlands while pregnant to give birth to her son who would carry on her punishment so that the General could maintain his reputation. Would you say that’s fair or unfair?”

Wooyoung balks when Hongjoong addresses him, shying away from him. “What? No! I mean—” He bites down on his bottom lip. “I didn’t know she was with child,” he defends. “Is it true, though? This Unmarked alpha, is he really the General’s son?” he asks while looking to San for confirmation.

“He is,” Hongjoong insists.

“He’s also my future mate,” San declares, clearing his throat when Wooyoung audibly chokes. “Hopefully, at least.” 

“ _What?_ ” 

“Yunho would prove himself during The Chase,” Hongjoong quickly amends, drawing Wooyoung’s attention back to him. “I know he is Unmarked, but he is still the General’s son. Should he not have the chance?” 

Wooyoung stares at him before his eyes inevitably trail back to San. “Are you serious?” he asks. “Is this serious?” 

“Very much so,” San confirms grimly. 

“San!” 

“I want him as my mate,” he says so sharply that Wooyoung quickly falls silent again. 

Wooyoung stares at his friend for a brief moment before he releases a long-suffering sigh. “Your parents will never approve, not if he’s Unmarked. I mean, Seonghwa already wants to go against the grain,” he peeks over at Hongjoong. 

“I know, but I also don’t really understand what these Marks even mean anymore.” 

Wooyoung sputters at his words. “What do you mean?” he asks. “They’re... _everything_. They’re proof of your rank!” 

“They’re limiting!” San complains. “Because of these Marks the only thing people expect of me is to settle down with the Captain and have his pups, but he’s not a good mate. He might be high ranking, but he’s not the kind of alpha I would like to mate with.” He turns to look at Hongjoong, lips pressed into a thin line. “Wouldn’t you agree?” he asks. 

Hongjoong averts his eyes to the ceiling. “He is an alpha from good stock,” he argues. “One of the few who can match your rank.” From the corner of his eyes he sees the way Wooyoung nods his head along to his words, and bile rises in the back of his throat. “But he’s rude and disrespectful. I can understand why you wouldn’t want to mate with him.” 

“I mean, I understand that,” Wooyoung defends himself when San turns to him with a smug little smile. “You know me! I’ve always been on your side when it comes to the Captain, but you’re jumping from him to an Unmarked alpha. How are you supposed to mate him unless you move to the outlands with him?” 

San straightens up. “First by convincing people that he deserves a chance to participate in The Chase. Then, once he’s caught me, by convincing people that he has a birthright claim to a higher status than just an Unmarked.” 

For a solid minute after he presents his argument, only silence reigns. Hongjoong presses his hands against his thighs while Wooyoung blinks at his friend. “That’s your plan?” Wooyoung finally blurts out. 

San looks offended. “Yeah, that’s my plan. What’s wrong with it?” 

“How are you going to garner support for an _Unmarked _ alpha?” Wooyoung yells at him. “I get it. Captain sucks. He’s an ass that treats you like you’re his mate already, but people generally like him. Not only are you planning to come out and say that you don’t want to mate him, you’re going to tell people that instead you’re going to mate his unknown, what, _half-brother?_ Who, oh by the way, is Unmarked? People will riot!” 

“My relationship cannot be that important,” San scoffs. 

“You’re the Head Alpha’s son,” Hongjoong reminds him. “Of course it’s important. Why do you think I assumed you would mate with the Captain up until this point? Why do you think I—” he cuts himself off for a moment, struggling to find the right words. “People wouldn’t approve of me either,” he finally settles on. 

“He’s the General’s son,” San argues. 

“So is the Captain,” Hongjoong counters. 

“Plus he’s Unmarked,” Wooyoung adds. 

The blond sighs, annoyed by the other two omegas dog piling on him like this. “You heard Hongjoong’s story, didn’t you?” he asks his friend. “Do you think he should be Unmarked?” 

“Well—no,” Wooyoung hesitates. “I just don’t see how this is going to work for you.” 

A pleased smile spreads across San’s lips. “See? You acknowledge that he shouldn’t be Unmarked. That’s a start for me.” 

Wooyoung cocks his head to the side and asks, “How?” 

“We spread Yunho’s story,” he says. “We tell as many people as we can. We tell everyone we can. Even if people disapprove at first, if they at least acknowledge that he shouldn’t be Unmarked, that's progress.” 

Wooyoung frowns but seems to consider San’s argument because he notes, “That is one hell of a bet.” 

“It’s a bet I’m willing to take,” San says before turning his attention back to Hongjoong. “How you told it was perfect, I think. Start telling everyone you know and in exchange,” he looks at Wooyoung pointedly. 

“Oh right.” Wooyoung pulls forward the bag they brought with them. “We have clothes,” he announces. “Something nicer for you to wear.” 

Hongjoong startles at the announcement, watching as Wooyoung pulls out a set of clothes for him. He holds his breath as he eyes the material that Wooyoung lays across his lap. It’s nice. Much nicer than anything Hongjoong is used to, so he can’t help but feel uncomfortable when he offers it up to the older omega. “I…” he tries to refuse the garments, but Wooyoung insists. 

“Learning how to act like a higher status omega includes changing how you look,” San tells him with a grin. “Don’t worry. We’ll trick my parents yet. Just don’t forget your part of the deal.”

Hongjoong hugs the new clothes close to his chest, practically shaking when he feels just how nice the material is in comparison to his rough and worn clothing. He nods his head obediently to San’s demands. “I’ll do my best,” he promises the blond. 

  
  
  
  


Yunho figures San must have been up to something after Seonghwa’s surprise visit to his cabin. It certainly sounded like the brothers’ needed to come up with some kind of plan for figuring out the whole issue surrounding him, so Yunho kind of suspected San must have been up to something. He only confirms it about two weeks before The Chase when Jongho barrels through the front door of his cabin, panting as if he had sprinted the whole way up the hill. 

“Yunho!” he calls for the alpha. “Is it true? I’ve heard the most insane rumor.” He freezes when he actually stops long enough to notice the blond omega comfortably nestled in some furs on the floor of the main room. 

Yunho looks up from where he’s kneeled before his fireplace before his gaze travels to San. The accusation is clear in his expression although the blond does his best to look innocent. “Is what true?” he asks, picking himself up to approach Jongho. 

The young alpha stutters, eyes moving back and forth between the two of them. “Oh, my God. It is true,” he says, lips parted in awe. 

Yunho cocks an eyebrow at him and asks, “What’s true?” 

“The rumors circulating in the village!” Jongho exclaims as if Yunho is supposed to know what those are. “They say that you’re vying to be San’s mate. That you want to prove yourself by participating in The Chase,” he explains in a small voice, biting into his lip as he eyes the omega sitting on the floor. It doesn’t help that San just gives him a lopsided grin. 

“Isn’t that the point of The Chase?” Yunho asks. 

Jongho hesitates, “Well, yes, but normally someone of your status wouldn’t be allowed to participate. I don’t even know if they’re going to let you join.” He licks his lips and peers up at the Unmarked alpha like he’s seeing him for the first time. “But...they’re also saying you’re not just any Unmarked alpha.” 

“Oh?” Yunho folds his arms over his chest. “I’ve never considered myself anything else.” 

“They say that you’re also the General’s son,” he blurts out. Yunho blinks at him before he turns his head to stare at the omega sitting on his floor. San only shrugs his shoulders and looks away, refusing to contribute any further knowledge. “Is it true?” Jongho asks anxiously. “Are you really his son? Is the Captain really your brother?” 

“I don’t know,” Yunho tells him. “That’s what I’ve been told, but I don’t care if he is my father or not.”

“It is true, for the record,” San adds in because he’s _not_ about to allow Yunho of all people to potentially muddy the narrative he’s worked so hard to build. “What you’ve heard is true.” 

Jongho covers his mouth with his hand, staring at Yunho with wide eyes. “Holy shit. It’s true? You should really be the same rank as the Captain? You’re really—” he glances to San with a fearful expression. “You’re really going to throw your bid in to be his mate?” he asks in a hushed voice. 

Yunho shifts his weight to one leg, head tilted to the side as he considers Jongho’s question. To be completely honest, he doesn’t quite understand what the young alpha is asking, so he answers the best and only way he can. “I’m going to catch him in The Chase,” he announces. “Is that the same thing?” 

Jongho’s gaze slides back over to San who seems pleased by Yunho’s response. “I can’t believe this,” he remarks, pressing his fists against his cheeks as he turns his stare back to Yunho. “I heard the General is scrambling, but everyone says the Captain seems unphased. He doesn’t think you’re a threat.” 

“Hah,” San snorts, crawling closer to the fireplace. “He couldn’t catch me last time. He’d be a fool to think he could do it this time.” He motions to the fireplace when Yunho turns to look at him and whines, “Yunho, I’m cold.” 

The alpha rolls his eyes but returns to the fireplace to finish what he’d started before Jongho interrupted them. It’s not even that chilly out yet and San is bundled up in some of Yunho’s best furs, yet he still complains about the cold. 

“But will Yunho be able to?” Jongho asks nervously. “I mean, he’s the best hunter I know, but he still has to compete against the Captain who’s no slouch either. Plus, he’ll no doubt receive help.” 

“Yunho better be able to catch me if he really wants to be my mate,” San glowers at the Unmarked alpha’s back although there’s little bite to his words. He has confidence and faith in the alpha. 

Once Yunho has the kindling going, he turns to face San, crowding the omega into his furs. “I should be asking whether or not you can actually hide from me,” he says, biting back a smile at the way San perks up in interest. “You don’t strike me as being particularly difficult to hunt.” 

The omega sputters, a little insulted but also pleasantly thrilled by his declaration. “How would you know? You’ve never tried to Chase an omega let alone me.” 

Yunho doesn’t nearly mirror the gleeful expression on the omega’s face, but San notes with satisfaction how the corners of the alpha’s lips just barely turn up. 

“Will he even be able to run though?” Jongho interrupts, oblivious to the chemistry brewing between them. San sighs when Yunho pulls away from him first, holding in his pout. In all fairness, Yunho is just as oblivious, but the moment might have at least held if not for Jongho inserting himself back into the conversation. 

“He’ll run,” San assures them. “My brother will make sure of it.” 

Jongho peers up to Yunho who only nods his head which leaves the young alpha unconvinced. He doesn’t know how he feels about the idea of Yunho participating in The Chase. He would say that excitement is the overwhelming emotions flooding through him. Nevertheless he can’t deny that he’s also apprehensive and worried about Yunho participating. 

Would he even be allowed to? Even if he did, and he managed to catch San then what? Would people even accept it? Would San’s parents accept it? 

“What about you?” Yunho asks, disrupting his thoughts. “Are you going to participate too?” he clarifies when he sees the lost expression on Jongho’s face. 

“Me? Oh, I’m—” he hesitates, rubbing at his nose. “I don’t know.” He hadn’t given it much thought until he caught wind of the rumors surrounding Yunho. 

“I thought you always do it,” Yunho points out. 

“Well—” Jongho is at a loss of words. Yeah, he knows that he usually participates. He kind of figured he would just do it the same as always, but he’d been giving it a second thought recently. 

“Wooyoung is going to run this year,” San supplies casually. Jongho looks over Yunho’s shoulder to the omega, audibly gulping before he quickly looks away. 

“I know,” he acknowledges in a small voice before clearing his throat. “Anyways, I’m way more interested if you’ll be allowed to run,” he tells Yunho. “If they let you run, I’ll do it with you,” he offers. “For support.”

San tries to hold back a snort but nearly chokes in the process. “For support?” he repeats. 

Jongho looks at him again and nods his head. “Yeah, for support.” 

“But I thought—” he cuts himself off when Yunho raises a hand up to quiet the omega. 

“Let him be,” he says. “He can do what he wants, and I’ll gladly accept your support.” 

Jongho grins, pleased that Yunho’s willing to take him up on his offer. Unmarked or not, he’s come to respect the alpha, particularly for his mentorship during Jongho’s years of exile. “I don’t know how many people will support you against the Captain, but I’m on your side at least,” he tells Yunho before abruptly faltering. “I mean, assuming that San wants you as his mate too. You’re not, like, forcing this, right?” he asks the Unmarked alpha nervously. 

San practically bolts from his spot on the floor, unnecessarily furious at the alpha’s assumption. It’s not because he’s implying that Yunho is forcing himself on San. No, it’s because, “I’ll have you know that _I_ have been the one pursuing _him_.” He jabs a finger in Yunho’s direction, immensely satisfied when Jongho sputters in disbelief. “Don’t get it confused. I’m the one doing everything. He just has to prove himself.” 

“Really?” Jongho asks in awe. “You wanted to mate an Unmarked alpha?” 

San pauses, a little caught off guard by the question. “Well, no. I wanted to mate Yunho, and he just is an Unmarked alpha. That’s all.” 

Jongho still seems fascinated by his answer, though, staring at San like he’s telling him the greatest story. “It’s like a fairy tale,” he remarks, turning his adoring gaze to Yunho. San shakes his head at his remark, settling back down on the floor and carefully rearranging the furs over himself again. The alphas continue to chat with each other, but San focuses on the warmth of the fireplace instead. 

He doesn’t really need to listen to them anymore to be honest. The very fact that Jongho came here to try and confirm the rumors is proof enough that Hongjoong has done his part. The Chase is only two weeks out now. San should probably check in with his brother. 

  
  
  
  


Yunho can honestly and confidently say that he’s never thought much of his status as an Unmarked. Despite growing up knowing that he was different—that he’d been exiled—he refused to think anything less of himself. The Marks meant nothing to him, and he stubbornly clung to that mindset. Part of it was true at any rate. It’s not as if those Marks had much meaning in his life beyond the fact that he was scorned for not having them, but that hadn’t stopped the feelings of jealousy or victimization he felt as a child when he learned that he could never be a part of the village. 

He came to terms with those feelings a while ago though. Now, however, looking round at all the people gathered for The Chase, the old insecurities rear their ugly head again. Still, he thinks he does an admirable job of keeping his front intact, holding his head up in spite of the stares and sneers sent his way. 

It helps that Jongho follows behind him—a silent but present sense of acceptance. The Unmarked alpha scans the field that everyone has gathered at for a familiar face, immediately making his way over to a small group of omegas when he spies San and Hongjoong. 

“Wait,” Jongho tries to pull him back when he sees where Yunho is heading. He pauses to look back at the younger alpha. “You shouldn’t,” Jongho advises him. “It’s already considered a bit rude to approach an omega during this time but especially because it’s San, well…” 

Yunho hums, considering Jongho’s advice for a brief moment before he heads for the omegas anyways. He waves off Jongho’s protests by simply saying, “I want to talk to Hongjoong. Something tells me no one will care about that.” 

Jongho presses his lips into a thin line but doesn’t refute Yunho’s statement. He’s almost frightening how quickly he picks up on this type of thing. “I’ll wait for you here,” he calls to the Unmarked alpha as he stays put in his spot.

When he approaches them Wooyoung is the first to notice him, and he visibly startles when an alpha approaches them. “What are you doing?” he hisses at the Unmarked alpha when he finally stops beside Hongjoong. San and Hongjoong both look to him after Wooyoung speaks. “You shouldn’t mingle with omegas before The Chase,” Wooyoung scolds him. 

“I just came to check on Hongjoong,” Yunho defends, glancing down to meet the omega’s gaze. Hongjoong flushes, turning his gaze down to his lap. 

San appears visibly disappointed by his response although his eyes narrow in on the satchel Yunho carries. “What’s in there?” he asks, reaching out to prod at the bag only for Wooyoung to grab him by the wrist. 

Yunho twists himself to look down at the satchel, lips curling up into a small smile. “Jongho told me it wasn’t uncommon to have a gift prepared. So,” he pats the bag at his hip, “I came prepared.” San perks up, eyes shining bright with curiosity as he eyes the bag. 

“That’s rather bold of you,” Wooyoung mutters, tugging San back again when he tries to reach for the bag. 

“I’m an Unmarked participating in your Chase,” Yunho reminds him. 

Wooyoung hums, whether in approval or disapproval Yunho can’t determine, and says, “Yes, I suppose it’s an understatement to say you are bold.” He tugs at San’s arms. “We should go before people start talking, or worse, your parents see this.” 

“Oh.” San looks reluctant as he looks to Yunho and then Hongjoong. “You’re okay?” he asks the omega. 

Hongjoong nods his head and smiles thinly. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for all your help, but you should prepare yourself too.” He glances up to Yunho before he turns back to look at the other alphas gathering. “You’ll need to be clever if you want to escape the Captain.” 

“Don’t worry,” San assures him with a smile. “I know what I’m doing.” 

Wooyoung nods his head in agreement and tugs at San’s arm again. “Yes, and we should get going soon. They’ll let the omegas run soon.” 

Hongjoong lifts his hand to wave the omegas off, turning his attention to Yunho. “Did you actually come to see me or was that just an excuse to see San?” he asks. 

“I wanted to talk to you,” Yunho assures him, but Hongjoong remains skeptical. “You were so nervous to run the last time we talked, are you sure about this?” 

“I said I would consider it if you did it too, and here you are,” the omega reminds him. 

“I remember,” Yunho tells him, “I still wasn’t sure you’d actually do it.” 

“I wouldn’t have if you weren’t here,” Hongjoong admits. He drapes his body over his lap and wraps his arms around his legs. “People are already talking about me. Scolding me for stepping outside my bounds.” He laughs a little as he presses his chin to his knees. “There’s no reason an omega of my status should be here.” 

“You have a reason to be here, don’t you?” Yunho points out. 

Hongjoong appears uncertain, pointing his toes together as he nervously claws at his calves. “I hope so,” he says, forcing himself to keep his gaze and the ground and not towards the alphas. Seonghwa never said anything. He never announced whether or not he would participate, and Hongjoong isn’t sure what that means. 

The logical part of him dictates that it means Seonghwa will not participate. He never has, so why would he suddenly do it this year? Hongjoong hopes—prays—that it’s because of him. Seonghwa has always made him feel special, so surely he won’t leave the omega to make a fool of himself. 

Heaving a deep breath, Hongjoong turns his eyes back up to Yunho and tells him, “Most people can’t stop talking about you, though. You’re kind of my saving grace in that sense. Keeps the pressure off of me.”

“If that’s what you need,” Yunho says with a little shrug.

Jongho makes his way towards them now that Wooyoung and San have left, posting himself next to Yunho. “Look at us, the three misfits,” he jokes although none of them laugh. Hongjoong manages a little smile at least. “Don’t you need to do any other final preparations?” 

The omega shakes his head and says, “I’m not San or even Wooyoung for that matter. It’s likely no one will chase me, so I would be putting myself in a detriment by making it harder for an alpha to find me.” 

Yunho stares over Hongjoong’s head towards the other alphas and villagers. He can see many of them leaning in towards each other, whispering. “You should still do your best,” Yunho warns him, narrowing his eyes. “I think there might be some who just view you as a fun target. Some people enjoy hunting too much.” 

Hongjoong shivers, and Jongho nudges Yunho in the side. “Don’t scare him,” the young alpha scolds him. 

“Sometimes it’s better to be safe,” Yunho says with a little shrug. 

“Don’t worry,” Jongho tells the omega instead, waving off Yunho’s concern. “Everyone will be busy chasing the omega they want—” He slaps a hand over his mouth, eyes widening in shock when he realizes just how insensitive he sounded just then. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—” 

“It’s okay,” Hongjoong cuts him off. He finally relaxes his grip on his calves, wincing at the little crescent shaped marks his fingernails leave behind on the skin. “There’s an alpha who will look for me. I’m not worried about that.” 

Jongho blinks at him and asks, “Really?” 

Hongjoong hesitates before nodding his head. “Yeah, so don’t worry about me. Just focus on catching Wooyoung,” he tells his friend before looking at Yunho. “And San. I’ll be okay.” 

Jongho laughs nervously, running his hands up and down his arms. “Thanks, but maybe I should stick around and watch out for you. It’s not like I’ll ever catch Wooyoung anyways.” 

“Don’t say that,” the omega reprimands him while Yunho digs out something from his satchel. 

Jongho blinks when the Unmarked alpha shoves a neatly folded fur into his hands. “What’s this?” he asks. 

“Something to help you,” Yunho tells him. “Smell it.” 

Tentatively, the younger alpha brings the fur up to his nose and sniffs at it. “Smells like an omega,” he notes although he can’t say he can pinpoint who exactly it smells like. 

“It’s San scent,” Yunho confirms as he ties his satchel close again. “Those two are going to try and switch scents.” 

“How do you know that?” Jongho asks. 

“Because San is predictable and uncreative,” Yunho tells him, folding his arms over his chest. “I told him that he should be the one making sure he can hide from me.” He shakes his head, staring off in the direction that San and Wooyoung had run off in. “The fact that he’s staying attached to his friend’s hip just solidifies it for me. It’s just one layer of their strategy I’m sure, but it’s one less obstacle to worry about if you already know it’s there.” 

Jongho furrows his eyebrows together as he examines the fur in his hand. “Then...wouldn’t this help me find Wooyoung and not San?” 

“It will help you find Wooyoung,” Yunho confirms, “so use it to find him.” 

“Then what about you?” 

“I already got a sense of Wooyoung’s scent.” He rubs at his nose, biting back a smile when Hongjoong gasps and glares at him. So that’s why he had come over to talk. 

“Wait, seriously?” 

Yunho nods before turning his attention back to Hongjoong and asks, “The omegas should be going soon, right?” Hongjoong nods his head in response. “Good luck then, stay safe, and I’ll see you in the morning I guess?” The omega nods his head, smiling at the Unmarked alpha as he walks away, Jongho trailing behind him once more. 

The sun will be setting soon, and the omegas will soon be allowed to run into the forest. Tonight feels different to Hongjoong though, not just because it’s the night of The Chase or because Hongjoong is somehow crazy enough to actually participate. It just feels different. Like everything is riding on this night. 

He startles when he hears the horn blow, signaling for the omegas to gather. He throws one last glance in Yunho’s direction. The Unmarked alpha isn’t mingling with the other alphas. He’s not mingling with anyone other than Jongho. “Good luck,” he murmurs in the alphas direction before he pushes himself up from the log he’d been sitting on. 

Whatever may come, it’s on Yunho’s shoulders now. 

  
  
  
  


Yunho heaves a deep breath as he stares at the forest line on the other side of the field. It’s been nearly an hour since the omegas were allowed to disperse into the forest. He’d enjoyed the initial quiet that fell over the field after the omegas left although the volume had quickly returned as the remaining alphas and village onlookers began gossiping amongst each other again. 

Honestly he sees it coming when the Captain approaches him. Yunho just barely recognizes him, remembering the alpha who had tried to force his way into his cabin a year ago when San hid inside there. The tension between them is thick and charged. Jongho shrinks into Yunho’s side, unable to meet the Captain’s gaze. Yunho knows that he shouldn’t, but he holds the man’s gaze, dipping his head down politely. 

The alpha sneers in response and finally speaks. “People are saying that you’re my brother,” he says through gritted teeth. “You’ll never wear my Marks.” 

Yunho’s jaw tightens at the suggestion and he breaks eye contact with the Marked alpha. “I’m not your brother,” he retorts, “And I have no desire for your Marks.” 

“Ha, I’m glad we can at least agree on that!” He eyes Yunho from head to toe. “The shame you’d bring on our family if you were. Unmarked, living in an old, run down shack on the side of a mountain. And you have the audacity to try court San.” 

“I’m not sure I’m the one bringing shame on the family when your father is doing a good enough job on his own.” Yunho snorts. 

“You dare—”

“He’s the one who went behind _your_ mother’s back to have an affair with mine then kicked us both out to live as Unmarked to what? Save his reputation? Save his courtship? How _is_ your mother doing, by the way?” Yunho tilts his head to the side, figuring the answer is probably not good based on the way the Captain grinds his teeth together. “Shameful, isn’t it?” 

“You shouldn’t even be here. You should have stayed in your cabin where you belong!”

“I was _invited_ to participate,” Yunho argues. 

“Who would invite _you?_ As if you could measure up to being San’s mate! It’s shameful enough that you would even show up.” Yunho narrows his eyes at the man, irked by his words but also satisfied as he watches the Marked alpha’s face turning red from his obvious anger. He isn’t sure the man actually feels threatened by him, but at least his presence elicits some type of response. “You are Unmarked. You have nothing to offer to an omega of his status. The thought of him bearing your pups just—” he visibly shudders, “I would pity him.” 

“Do you have that thought because you’re scared it might actually happen?” Yunho questions. “And just so we’re clear I’m not even all that interested in having pups. I’m here for San, not some hypothetical children.” The Captain sputters, and Yunho can’t resist needling him further. “Do you even like him? Or are you only thinking about what an ‘omega of his status’ could do for you? My understanding is that you are also high status or am I mistaken?” 

The Captain makes a move towards him, but Yunho stands his ground, fingers curling up into fists. It’s enough to halt the Marked alpha halfway. “You should aim for those who are within your means like that silly low born omega who’s participating,” the Captain hisses at him. “Learn from your mother’s mistakes.” 

Jongho shifts beside the Unmarked alpha, but Yunho reaches out to place a hand on his shoulder, and he forces himself not to react. “It would appear to me that San is within my means if only for tonight,” he says. 

“You don’t stand a chance. You don’t have a _right_.” 

“Then prove it,” Yunho challenges him. “Catch him first and _prove_ that he should be yours. Stop talking down to me about how you deserve him because of your Marks. He’s not yours yet, but you assume just because of your status. I’m ready to prove that I can be a good mate even if I am Unmarked.” Yunho trembles at the realization that he finally understands San, if only a little bit. 

It had always been odd to him. He’d met the omega by complete chance. There was really no circumstance under which they ever should have met, and for all intents and purposes, San probably shouldn’t have ever known he even existed. And yet the omega had shown up in front of him, declaring that he would court Yunho.

He knew, of course, that his status as an Unmarked would always be disqualifying. That’s why Yunho admits he’d initially thought San’s gestures a joke at best and cruel at worst. An omega like him shouldn’t have ever been in want of a mate, so why Yunho? 

The Captain snorts, “How stupid. Do you really think you have the resources or skills to stand up to me?” 

This time Yunho can’t hold back his grin as he says, “We’ll find out then, won’t we?” 

With a huff, the Marked alpha turns his nose up to Yunho and turns on his heels to march back towards his group. Yunho watches him go, still trying to gauge how much of a threat this guy is. Last time he followed San all the way up to Yunho’s cabin, only giving up because Yunho had provoked him enough. Clearly, he has the skills, but Yunho places his faith in San—that he learned from his mistakes last time and is better prepared to avoid the Captain this time. 

He startles from his thoughts when Jongho says, “I can’t believe you stood up to him like that. I can’t believe he’s actually your half-brother.” 

“Just because we have the same father does not make us brothers,” Yunho tells him. 

“I know, but you have to understand that’s how people know you right now. They’ll naturally want to compare you too.” 

Yunho glances in the direction the Captain stomped off to, searching through the gathering of alphas, but he’s lost sight of the Captain. Shame. Yunho was hoping to maybe get a glimpse of his father. He wonders what must be going on in that man’s mind right now, and he’s a bit proud of himself to think that he might just be in a complete panic over Yunho’s presence. 

“Jongho,” he turns back to the younger alpha, “will you track down Wooyoung tonight or no?” 

Jongho hesitates, looking down at the fur in his hands, before he asks, “Should I?”

“I can’t tell you what you should or shouldn’t do,” Yunho shrugs his shoulders. “I only ask because if you do, I’d advise you to be careful.” 

Jongho tenses up. “What? Why?” 

“He’ll be carrying San’s scent. It’s possible that that guy or his friends will track Wooyoung down instead of San, so be careful.” He places his hand on Jongho’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I’d hate for you to get into a fight with them.” 

“Don’t worry about me,” Jongho laughs, fingers digging into the soft material in his hands. “I’ll play it safe. Promise.” 

“Good.” Yunho tips his head forward before the sound of the horn goes off again. It’s time. 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong doesn’t meander too far into the forest for a few reasons. One is exactly as he said. Making it too difficult wouldn’t exactly be doing himself any favors. The other reason he settles on staying close to the edge of the forest is because if the night does end rather uneventfully for him, at least he can make a quick and, hopefully, discreet escape. He thinks he might be able to keep his pride intact at least a little bit in that case. 

It’s a smart move overall in his opinion. He knows when the alphas are allowed into the forest to hunt because he hears the horn followed shortly by the rustling of the grass and twigs as the alphas make their way into the forest. At that moment, Hongjoong had huddled himself back into the little alcove he had settled himself into, lips pressed together as most of them quickly moved past him. 

The moon hangs high in the night sky already, and Hongjoong has yet to see any signs of Seonghwa. Maybe he’s made a mistake. He believes that San meant it when he said Seonghwa was sincere, and he admits that he even has some hope, but perhaps choosing to participate in this was a mistake. Tonight was never meant to be for someone like him. It was always meant to be for less fortunate alphas. Yunho had just been too convincing. 

He’s in the middle of mentally berating himself when the scent of an alpha drifts towards him. He tenses up immediately, holding his breath as he tries to focus on that scent. He can definitely tell that it’s an alpha, but from this distance it’s difficult for him to pinpoint whether or not it’s Seonghwa. It could just be another passing alpha, but as the scent lingers Hongjoong finds his heart rate pick up. Whoever it is must be staying around because he knows that an omega is around, right? 

Hongjoong shrinks further into his little alcove, resisting the urge to peek out to catch a glimpse of the alpha. It might not be Seonghwa after all, and if it’s not Seonghwa than Hongjoong doesn’t want to know who it is.

The scent not only lingers but actually becomes stronger as the alpha begins to make his way towards Hongjoong’s hiding place. Hongjoong freezes and his mind completely blanks. Despite putting himself out there like this, he hasn’t actually come up with any plan for how he intended to deal with this situation. He’d spent so much time doubting the fact that Seonghwa would even participate, let alone actually look for Hongjoong, that he hardly pondered on the idea of what it would mean if he did. 

He can hear footsteps approaching his hiding spot, and Hongjoong begins to crawl out of his little alcove when he tenses up, blood running cold. Now that the alpha is close enough, Hongjoong can smell the nuances in his scent. Horrified, he notes that this person _isn’t_ Seonghwa. That’s not Seonghwa’s scent at all. 

Shivering, he peeks around the rocks that framed his hiding spot only to meet an unfamiliar alpha’s gaze. Hongjoong doesn’t know this man. He’s never seen him before, but taking a look at the Marks on his face, the omega can immediately tell that this alpha is quite comfortably above him. He’s not as high ranking as the Captain—and definitely not as high as Seonghwa—but he’s also quite a bit above Hongjoong and even Jongho. The omega would say that the alpha is comfortably in the middle. 

Just as easily as Hongjoong can gauge this alpha’s status, he can just as easily gauge Hongjoong’s, and he makes a face when he sees the Marks on the omega’s face. “What the hell?” he mutters more to himself than anything. He eyes Hongjoong with thinly veiled annoyance. “I know that omegas like to pull pranks and shit on us but seriously? What the hell is an omega like you doing out here?” 

Hongjoong just shrinks away from him, fitting himself back into his alcove to curl up. Shame burns through him at the alphas words. What the hell is he doing out here? 

“I smelled an omega and thought—” the alpha sighs, banging his fist against the rocks of Hongjoong’s makeshift shelter. “What a waste of time,” he mutters before he turns to leave. 

Hongjoong breathes out a sigh of relief that the alpha at least doesn’t waste his time harassing Hongjoong, but the humiliation he inflicts on the omega remains. Curling himself up into a tight ball, he digs his teeth into the top of his knees and hugs his legs close to his torso. 

This is stupid. He’s stupid. He should have just stayed back and watched like he always did. It’s not like there’s any particular point to him doing this. Seonghwa didn’t need to _prove_ himself. He’s the Head Alpha’s son. There was nothing for him to prove to anyone, least of all Hongjoong. 

He knows why he did it though. He knows exactly why he’s here. He’s here for the same reason that Yunho is here—to prove to himself that he’s worthy. Maybe he is a low ranking omega, but Seonghwa likes him. He’s willing to go against his parents expectations for him, but Hongjoong needs to know for himself that he’s worth it. Probably the same way Yunho feels that he needs to do this to prove that just because he’s Unmarked doesn’t mean he’s not a worthy alpha. 

But the alpha’s reaction to him just now rattles Hongjoong’s resolve. The self-doubts that always linger in the back of his mind, annoying but suppressed, suddenly latch themselves into his head, setting his skin ablaze like it’s trying to burst out of him. 

Slowly uncurling himself, he pushes forward, clawing his way out of his little alcove. He doesn’t have any particular destination in mind, he just wants to get out of here. He has half a mind to just leave. There’s no rules against that, is there? He can just walk out of here and run all the way back to his little hut, can’t he? The moon is still high in the night sky. There’s still hours until morning, but all Hongjoong sees when he stares at the moon is despair. There’s no hope up there for him. 

Once he’s out of the alcove, he scrambles to his feet, tripping over a twig almost immediately. With a yelp he catches himself on his hands and knees, wincing when he scrapes the palm of his hands against the ground. Perfect. Just perfect. What an end to his night. 

With a sight, he sits back on his heels, lifting his hands up to examine them as best he can in the dim moonlight. Gently, he wipes the dirt from his palms and notes with relief that it doesn’t look like he’s drawn any blood. He’s so busy cleaning his hands and cursing himself that he doesn’t hear when someone approaches from behind him. 

“Hongjoong.” The omega jumps and releases a startled cry as he whips around to face whoever snuck up on him. 

Fear quickly gives way to relief and then joy when the omega recognizes Seonghwa standing there. “You came,” he says for lack of anything better to say. Then the annoyance sets in. “What took you so long? I wasn’t that hard to find, was I?” Hongjoong shudders at the thought that perhaps Seonghwa hadn’t wanted to look for him.

Seonghwa frowns and bends down to help Hongjoong back to his feet. “No, you weren’t hard to find,” he tells the omega. “I just had a late start.” 

Hongjoong blinks at him and asks, “Late start?” 

Smiling ruefully, Seonghwa lifts the omega’s hands up to examine his palms, running his thumb soothingly over the little scrapes littering his palms. “The General tried to protest Yunho’s participation at the last minute, so I had to deal with that.” 

“Why?” he asks, shivering when Seonghwa wraps his fingers around his wrists instead. 

With a shrug, Seonghwa answers, “I can’t say. Maybe he thinks Yunho really is a threat, or maybe he just wanted to ensure that his son wouldn’t face competition.” 

“Oh.” Hongjoong gently pulls his arms away from Seonghwa’s grip, wiping them down on his pants. “So then you just came here?” 

“You weren’t difficult to find,” Seonghwa tells him with a smile. 

“I wasn’t trying to be hard to find,” Hongjoong pouts. 

Seonghwa hids a laugh behind his fist and takes a step closer to the omega. Hongjoong shrinks down, but he doesn’t back away from the alpha which Seonghwa is quick to notice. Then the alpha reaches out with his arms, wrapping them around the omega’s shoulders and leaning into him to whisper, “Well, since I suppose I’ve caught you now, what should we do? We have plenty of time before the sun comes up.”

Hongjoong flushes and attempts to pull away from the alpha, but Seonghwa keeps him in place. The alpha had asked his question with a suggestive tone of voice, and the omegas body heats up in response to it. “No,” he rejects the alpha’s suggestion. “I’m _not_ going to face the Head Alpha with your scent clinging to me like that. They’d hate me!” 

“They wouldn’t say anything,” Seonghwa protests. 

“That doesn’t make me feel better!” 

Seonghwa laughs, nuzzling his nose into the omega’s hairline. He slides his eyes shut as he takes in the omega’s scent, tightening his hold around Hongjoong. He asks, “Are you going to be okay?” 

Hongjoong takes a moment to think about that question before he responds. “I don’t know, but I’m prepared.” 

“Yeah?” 

The omega hums in confirmation. He doesn’t know if he’ll be okay. He’s terrified of the thought of facing Seonghwa’s parents because he _will_ have to. There’s no way Seonghwa can walk out of this forest with him in the morning as if it’s no big deal. Wooyoung and San had done their best to prepare him though, so he’ll just have to depend on that. 

“Yunho should be more scared than you,” Seonghwa teases him. 

Hongjoong frowns at the thought of the Unmarked alpha. It’s still a weird thought to him—that San would choose such a low ranking alpha for his mate—but he still finds himself hoping for the best for the alpha. “Yunho needs to find him first,” he points out. 

“He will,” Seonghwa reassures him. “I have faith that he will.” 

  
  
  
  


Jongho fidgets and fists his fingers into the fur Yunho had given him as he leans back against a tree. This is silly. This is silly, right? Is he really going to try and catch Wooyoung like he stands any kind of chance? He'd been tracking the scent on the fur for awhile now, digging deep into his mind for the pointers Yunho had given him when it came to stalking prey. 

He hasn’t lost Wooyoung’s track yet, but he does feel a little silly the further he goes and the stronger the scent becomes. Wooyoung is definitely an omega out of his league, and while that might not have necessarily been a deterrent before it definitely feels like one now. If anything, Yunho’s situation should reassure him, but it only seeds more doubt into his mind. 

At least San and Yunho had some kind of connection with each other outside of The Chase. They’re doing this because it’s something they both mutually want. Wooyoung at best doesn’t even know who Jongho is and at worst maybe dislikes him because he’s a low status alpha who likes him. Maybe he’s doing this the wrong way. 

Then again, the last time he’d attempted to show his affection he’d been exiled to the outlands for five years. Maybe the real answer is that there’s just no winning in this situation. Maybe he should just catch up with Yunho and help him out with San. The Captain is no doubt getting help from a few other alphas, so maybe Jongho should be there to help him as well. 

Yunho had gone in the complete opposite direction as Jongho though. It would take some time to catch up. 

Perhaps he should make sure Hongjoong is okay instead? He doesn’t like the idea of his friend being left alone like this for the night. Jongho doesn’t want to think the worst, but Yunho wasn’t wrong when he suggested that some people might be less than friendly about Hongjoong’s presence. 

Ah, but the omega had said he anticipated an alpha looking for him. Jongho’s presence might just be a turn off in that case, right? 

Jongho stares down at his feet, pressing his toes down onto the dead leaves around him, crushing them beneath his feet. He doesn’t know what he should do. 

He’s pulled from his thoughts by the sound of running, leaves crunching beneath feet as someone skids to a stop nearby. Looking over, he tenses up when he recognizes Wooyoung. The omega looks out of breath, his chest heaving as he holds his hands up as if in surrender. 

Caught off guard, Jongho quickly ducks behind his tree. He hadn’t expected Wooyoung to just _run_ into him. Peeking around the tree, he watches the omega back up and say, “Wait, wait, Captain. Let’s talk about this.” Jongho blanches and presses himself harder against the tree to hide. The Captain? It’s like Yunho predicated. 

“I have tried to talk about this,” the Captain says as he approaches the omega. Jongho’s nose scrunches up when he picks up on two other alpha scents. That’s rather mean to gang up on an omega like that. “You’re the one who doesn’t want to tell me what I want to know.” 

“I don’t know what you want!” Wooyoung protests. 

“You don’t actually expect me to believe that, do you?” The Captain growls out. Jongho shivers at the aggression in his tone. He should leave. He doesn’t really want to get in the Captain’s way. “You’re wearing San’s scent. You must know where he is.” 

That gives Jongho pause. He said he would have Yunho’s back. Perhaps this was one way he could help. 

Wooyoung scoffs at him and crosses his arms over his chest. “We did this last year and it didn’t trick you. It’s not _my_ fault you wasted your time chasing me down, and anyways that’s the point of this! We just did a more careful job of transferring scents this time. How is it my fault that you were tricked?” 

“I’m not blaming you for San’s antics,” the Captain refutes, “I’m telling you to tell me where he’s hiding.” 

“I don’t know!” Wooyoung yells at him. “You’re wasting your time! We split up after we entered the forest. I have no idea where he went or where he’s hiding. There would literally be no point in trading scents like this if I knew where he was.”

“Stop lying to me, Jung Wooyoung!” 

“I’m not lying!” the omega raises his voice to match the Captain’s and Jongho raises his eyebrows, impressed by the omega’s guts. “And every moment you waste interrogating me is more time wasted on finding San.” 

The Captain lunges forward to grab the omega, and Wooyoung shrieks as he struggles to maintain his balance. “And how do I not know you’re not lying to me? Are you trying to help that dirty Unmarked alpha by wasting my time with you?!” 

“Would you stop!” Wooyoung struggles with the alpha, prying his hands off his tunic and throwing them down as he leaps away from him. “I don’t even know that alpha, but if he’s allowed to participate he has every right to chase San if he wants, but whether or not he does is entirely up to him. I have no influence on it, and I’m not trying to waste your time. You're doing that on your own.” 

“I don’t think he knows,” one of the Captain’s alpha says. 

“He has to,” the Captain hisses back. “If I spent all this time hunting him down, the gap is only closing, and I’m not going to lose my mate to an Unmarked alpha.” 

“Then you better get going,” Wooyoung mocks. “I haven’t seen any sign of the Unmarked alpha tonight, so clearly my trick didn’t work on him.” 

The Captain sneers at him, but Wooyoung just returns it with a glare of his own. They were the same rank, but the Captain has never treated him like they were equals even when they were kids. Instead of lunging for the omega again, the Captain turns on his heels with a huff. “This is a waste of time,” he growls, motioning for the two alphas with him to follow. “I need to find San first.” 

“But we went out of our way to catch him,” one of them protests, eyeing Wooyoung with intrigue. The omega shies back from him and bares his teeth in warning. 

“So? Does he look like he’s worth it?” the Captain barks. 

“I mean, I wouldn’t mind being the one to take credit for catching him. If—if that’s okay with you, of course, Captain,” he stutters when the Captain glares at him. “I just need a little time to claim him is all.” 

Wooyoung shrinks back when the Captain turns around to look at him. He expects the alpha to call his lackey off. They have more pressing matters to attend to, but the Captain just curls his lips up in distaste and says, “Fine, but hurry up. I don’t want to be playing catch up with a worthless Unmarked alpha.” 

“I won’t be too long!” his friend assures him as the other two alphas depart. 

Jongho bites his lips as he watches the Captain depart. He should trail after them. Maybe do something to stall, anything to prolong for Yunho’s sake. When they parted ways, Yunho had gone off in a different direction than him, so he hopes and prays that his friend has had a more direct route to San. The fact that the Captain knows and is on his way makes him nervous though. 

It’s nothing compared to the way Wooyoung’s scent becomes insanely distressed though. Tearing his gaze from the Captain and his alpha friend, he peeks around the tree trunk to look at Wooyoung and the alpha who stayed behind. 

“Stay away,” Wooyoung warns him. 

“You going to run?” the alpha asks in a teasing voice. “I really like the feeling of a chase. Gets me all excited, you know?” 

Wooyoung makes a noise of disgust in the back of his throat, debating whether or not he should run. His instinct is to flee, but he knows that he won’t be able to out run on alpha like this. “I won’t accept your claim no matter what,” he warns the alpha. “Just because you might have technically caught me won’t mean that you have any right to court me. I’ll refuse.” 

“It’s okay. I’m not really all that interested in actually courting you,” the alpha tells him. “I just need a little bit of release.” Wooyoung shudders and throws caution to the wind, turning on his heels to flee. “Yes!” the alpha cries behind him as he allows the omega a head start. 

It’s a terrifying minute where Wooyoung attempts to flee from the alpha chasing him. He only makes it about a minute before another body barrels into him, sending him flying to the ground. “Stop,” he demands, kicking out with a foot, but the alpha just catches him by the ankle and holds him down. “You’re beneath me,” the omega seethes. 

“That makes it all the more fun,” the alpha tells him. “I caught you. It’s my _right_.” 

“That’s not how any of this works!” Wooyoung shouts back. For one, this alpha hardly caught him. Captain did all the work. And for two, catching did not equate to the right to try and _claim_ an omega. Sure it happened, but it was usually either consensual or at least not entirely unwanted. Wooyoung feels tears spring to his eyes when the alpha claws at his shirt. This has never happened before. Not to him. 

The alpha howls in pain when something smacks against the side of his head. Wooyoung even winces at the noise though he wasn’t quite able to catch exactly what that was. It was hard. Maybe a small rock or something. It halts the alpha in his tracks though, and Wooyoung can’t help but follow his gaze, eyes settling on another alpha not too far from him. 

“Get lost,” the alpha growls at his challenger. 

Wooyoung watches as the second alpha stiffens before he squares his shoulders and straightens up. “No,” the alpha says. “You’re harassing an omega.” 

“Move. On,” the Captain’s friend barks at him. 

Wooyoung digs his fingers into the dirt below him, contemplating his next move. Is this new alpha a friend or foe? Should he try and seize the opportunity? 

“No.” Jongho gulps thickly as he eyes the two of them. “I—you’re...you’re in my way,” he declares boldly. 

Wooyoung blanches, eyeing the Marks on the alpha’s face. He’s on the lower end of the caste systems, and worst yet, the omega eyes the Mark of exile on him. So he’s been banished before. The alpha on top of Wooyoung laughs, turning to face Jongho with a smile spread across his lips. “You must be joking. You think you have a right to an omega like him?” He tugs on the collar of Wooyoung’s shirt, jerking him back and forth as the omega gasps and struggles. 

“It’s The Chase,” Jongho points out with a shrug. “I have a right to try.” 

“Get lost,” the alpha barks at him. “I don’t have time for you. If you really want him just wait until I’m done. I’m not all that interested in actually mating him.” He tugs at Wooyoung again, grunting when the omega digs his heels into the ground to resist him. 

“Let go of me,” Wooyoung demands. 

“Fight me off if you want me to let go,” the alpha shoots back. 

“This is against the rules!” 

“Who cares about the rules! I’m an alpha, and I caught you. If you can’t fight me off that’s your problem.” 

“You didn’t do anything,” Wooyoung hisses, struggling to pull his arm from the alpha’s grip but failing. His stomach twists, heartbeat picking up when he realizes that there’s no way he’ll be able to fight off an alpha. 

Biting into his bottom lip, Jongho watches the exchange with growing discomfort. He feels the urge to just walk away. It’s the easiest thing to do in this situation, but guilt weighs him down. Gathering what little courage he has, Jongho barrels forward to grab the other alpha’s wrist, squeezing it hard enough that he’s able to pry the alpha’s hand from Wooyoung. Then, for good measure, he rams into the alpha with his shoulder and knocks him to the ground.

“He said no,” Jongho reminds him, leering over the alpha in an overall ineffective attempt to assert his dominance. “And you didn’t find him, so you have no right to claim. Even if you did, I told you I’m here to challenge that.” 

The alpha huffs as he listens to Jongho, slowly pushing himself back up to his feet. He taps his temple with his finger and asks, “Do you even listen? I said you can have him. Just let me have fun first.” Jongho quiets down, not because he considers it for even one second but because he’s honestly shocked speechless by the suggestion. “So do we have a deal or what?” 

Wooyoung skitters back a few steps, eyeing both alphas warily, but Jongho sputters when he hears the alpha press him. “What? _No!_ ” He glances to Wooyoung who shrinks under his gaze. “I don’t want a deal. I want a challenge.” 

Gritting his teeth, the alpha rolls up the sleeve of his shirt and rolls his shoulders a couple of times. Jongho bends his knees to drop into a fighting stance as well. He sends one last glance in Wooyoung’s direction, jerking his chin in the opposite direction. It’s the only indication he can give the omega to run before the Captain’s friend suddenly lunges for him. Jongho grunts, buckling over and grabbing the alpha around the waist to try and keep himself upright. 

Wooyoung, thankfully, takes the opportunity Jongho affords him to make a break for it right as the alphas begin brawling. 

Truthfully, Jongho isn’t much of a fighter. When he was a kid he brawled and played with the other alphas but growing up as a merchant didn’t really lend itself to fighting much. He’s not like the Captain or his friends, so he’s shocked when he manages to hold his own against this alpha. Well, maybe it’s not so much that he holds his own than the other alpha realizes that he’s just wasting his time with Jongho. 

“I don’t have time for this,” he grunts as he wrestles Jongho into a submissive position once again. “Captain is probably waiting for me.” He releases Jongho who sighs in relief as he struggles to pick himself back up. The alpha delivers a spiteful kick to his ribs as one last parting gesture before he leaves to return to the Captain. 

Coughing, Jongho struggles to push himself up onto his knees. Maybe this isn’t a victory, but he can’t help but feel a little smug at the way the alpha limps off. Wincing with every move, he falls back onto his ass before dragging himself over to the closest tree to lean back against the trunk. He wraps an arm around his waist, grabbing the spot where the alpha kicked him right at the end. There’s definitely going to be a bruise there later. 

He’ll just...rest here until the morning or something. It’s not like he has the energy to make it back out of the forest now. Oh, but what about helping Yunho out? He jerks forward as if to move before groaning in pain. Yeah, he’ll just wait it out here for the moment. He’ll just trust that Yunho will make it on his own. 

After resolving to simply stay put for the time being he expects to be on his own for the rest of the night, so he can’t help the surprised shriek he releases when there’s a touch on his shoulder. The pain in his side flares up again, and he presses down on it harder in an attempt to keep the pain at bay. He turns to look over his shoulder, all the tension melting from him when he sees Wooyoung looking down at him with a concerned expression. 

“You came back?” Jongho asks. “You were supposed to run.” 

Wooyoung pulls back from the alpha, lips pulled into a frown. “I did,” he tells him. 

“And then you came back?” Jongho repeats, unable to fathom what the hell Wooyoung was thinking. 

The omega’s frown only deepens at his question. He folds his arms together over his chest and says, “I thought you said you were challenging him for the chance to have caught me instead.” 

“Ah.” Jongho rights himself again so he can lean back against the tree. It relieves some of the pressure on his injured side. “That was—I was just trying to get him off of you so you could make a break for it, you know? You seemed really uncomfortable.” 

Wooyoung narrows his eyes at the alpha, and Jongho has to avert his gaze only a moment later. The omega plops down beside him, their shoulders knocking together as he also leans back into the tree. “So you saw the whole thing then, huh?” he asks. 

Jongho panics. “Huh? Me? No, I mean, well yeah but it’s not like I thought they would do anything. I mean the Captain, you know? I didn’t know if it was really my place to intervene anyways, but I thought you could use the help.” 

Wooyoung furrows his eyebrows at Jongho’s response. It’s more a jumble of word vomit than an actual answer, so the alpha doesn’t really blame him. “If you were all the way out here though, weren’t you following me? Or is there another omega around?” 

“Oh.” Jongho doesn’t really have an explanation for that. “Well—” 

Wooyoung studies the alpha as he makes another attempt to explain himself. He doesn’t really listen though, too focused on looking the alpha over, paying extra attention to his Marks. He’s not really at a great status, and the omega eyes the X indicating his time spent in exile, but he had put himself out there to help Wooyoung when he needed it. 

“Hey,” he interrupts the alpha who pauses to look at him. “What’s your name?” 

The fact that Wooyoung doesn’t know his name or even remembers him really stings a little, but Jongho swallows it down. “Uh, Jongho,” he introduces, wondering if he should maybe remind Wooyoung that he had gifted him a few courting gifts in the past. No, he’d rather keep his pride intact. 

“Well, congratulations, Jongho,” Wooyoung holds his hand out for the alpha to take which he does hesitantly. “You’re the first alpha to ever catch me.” 

  
  
  
  


San stills himself, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind his ear as he strains to listen to his surroundings. There’s not much beyond the rustle of leaves and the howl of the wind. It’s been a fairly quiet night for him so far, granted the alphas were allowed to give chase not all that long ago. 

An updraft of wind carries the scent of an alpha with it, and San tenses when he smells it. Turning to look down the hill he’d climbed up, he scans the trees below for any signs of movement. The alpha scent is still faint, not enough for him to identify it. Could be Yunho. Could be the Captain. Whoever it is must still be a ways off though because San doesn’t see any signs of movement. 

It’s a bad decision, or maybe they were just unlucky, San thinks as he quickly heads down the other side of the hill in search of a hiding spot. He caught their scent early, probably much earlier than they ever intended, and he isn’t just going to sit around on his hands and wait for the alpha to find him. Definitely not. He can’t afford for the Captain to find him, and he wants Yunho to prove himself. 

A thrill runs up his spine at the thought. Yunho can do it. San has faith in him. It’s part of the reason he’d even expressed interest in the alpha in the first place. Yunho is definitely a capable alpha, and although this may be a format he’s unfamiliar with, San is sure he’ll be able to pull it off. The Captain wouldn’t be able to catch him, but Yunho could. That’s the whole point. That’s what he wants to prove to everyone. 

He finds a tree large enough to easily hide behind. It’s boxed in by some large boulders, protecting him from a sneak attack, and the foliage around it is tall enough to allow for a stealthy retreat if he needs. Pleased with himself and comforted by the thought that the nearest alpha is still a ways off, he can’t help but be completely caught off guard when he hears a branch snap in the direction he just came from. 

He tenses up immediately and bites down on his bottom lip as he listens for anymore sound. It’s quiet, and he can’t catch the smell of an alpha nearby. He’s almost convinced that he must have imagined it or perhaps a small creature had snapped it under foot, but then he hears the rustle of leaves. Not from the wind. Definitely from footsteps. 

Silently, San ducks down, taking cover in the foliage as he contemplates his next move. He hadn’t expected to be _cornered_ here. This was supposed to be a small stop as he waited to gauge the alpha’s next move and act accordingly. That scent had been so far off. Who could have possibly made it here that quickly? 

More than that, San can’t help but feel on edge. He can’t tell if it’s the Captain or Yunho or if it’s even an alpha. The wind is blowing the completely wrong direction now for San to be able to tell. 

He inches forward slowly, careful not to draw attention to the shifting foliage as he quickly runs through his next potential moves. He could make a break for it, but that would definitely draw attention, and while San might take pride in his ability to run he doesn’t think he can outrun an alpha. Could he sneak by instead? It’s hard to tell when he can’t quite get the alpha’s bearings. 

He inches forward some more as he quickly works to get his own bearings straight. If he can remember where he laid down some of his traps, perhaps he could lead the alpha there and—he shrieks when someone grabs him by the shoulder. Throwing his stealth plans away, San makes a break for it. He doesn’t even think about where he’s going; he’s just focusing on _running_ while chanting in his head that this can’t be the Captain. Don’t be the Captain. _Anyone_ but the Captain. 

“San!” The alpha who calls out for him catches him by the wrist to stop him. Not that he needs to because San immediately halts and turns to face him. He could recognize Yunho’s voice anywhere. “By the moon, I didn’t mean to scare you like that,” the alpha says, looking bashful. 

San barely pays attention to his words, too focused on the relief flooding through him when he fully digests the fact that it’s Yunho before him. “It’s you,” he whispers out before throwing his arms around the alpha to hold him close. “I couldn’t smell you. I was scared the Captain found me.” 

Yunho pats him on the back a few times before he pulls away. “I haven’t seen him since we started, so,” he shrugs his shoulders. 

San cracks a grin, his heart swelling with a mixture of pride and relief before a thought suddenly occurs to him. “That was so fast! I smelled an alpha earlier, but I thought I still had plenty of distance.” 

Yunho frowns, unsure of what San means by that. “The winds have been pretty erratic tonight. I did my best to keep my approach cloaked, but maybe you smelled someone else?” 

“How did you find me so fast anyways?” San demands, planting his hands on his hips. He expected Yunho to find him first, but he though he’d at least put up some kind of challenge. 

“You weren’t difficult to find,” Yunho teases. 

“Oh, come on,” San whines. “I know you’re a hunter—a good hunter—but it can’t have been that easy! I’m not some stupid boar!” 

“You aren’t,” Yunho agrees as he reaches out to poke San in the forehead. “Your ideas were clever, but they weren’t difficult to guess either. I wasn’t expecting the traps though. I didn’t realize those were a part of the game too.” He lifts one foot up to roll his ankle, and San guesses he must have tripped over one of the simpler ones he set up. 

“What do you mean?” he asks. 

“Like I figured you’d try to hide your scent or disguise it completely. I thought at first you’d try to pick up Hongjoong’s scent, but you’re too nice to make him a target like that. Wooyoung was a natural second guess.” 

San scowls a little. Alright, so he hadn’t exactly been sneaky with that one but still, “how do you even know what Wooyoung smells like?” The two of them have hardly even met. There’s no way Yunho was tracking a scent he barely knew. He knows alphas have a keener sense of smell, he refuses to believe Yunho is familiar with any other omega scent besides his own. And maybe Hongjoong’s, but San doesn’t even like to admit to that one. 

“Why do you think I came over to talk to Hongjoong when I did? Just to make you jealous?” 

San struggles to form words to Yunho’s explanation. What? He didn’t think Yunho was such a sly bastard. “I—but you—” He backs up when Yunho moves forward, caging the omega in against the tree he hid behind. 

“I told you that you’d have to do your best to hide from me,” Yunho scolds him although there’s very little bite to his words. “What if this Captain of yours found you first?” 

San pouts, torn between being proud of just how quickly Yunho accomplished his task and upset with himself that he was this easy to catch. Given how early it still is, Yunho must have essentially made a beeline for him. “What about all my traps?” he whines. What more is he supposed to do? Gimmicks like this have kept Wooyoung safe for _years_ , and yet they did almost nothing to deter Yunho. 

“The first one got me,” the alpha admits. “The rest were easy to spot after that.” 

“ _What?_ But I placed them down perfectly! I—” San’s breath hitches when Yunho steps closer, further boxing him in against the tree. Yunho’s scent floods his senses, and he decides that he doesn’t care so much about his stupid traps anymore. 

“You placed them fine,” Yunho assures him, tucking the omega’s head under his chin when San practically melts into him. “I guess I’m just used to spotting them. I have to spot my own traps too, you know, and I can’t keep track of every single one I’ve placed.” 

San pulls back from him to glare up at the alpha. “You didn’t dismantle them all did you?” 

Yunho rolls his eyes at the question. “Don’t be silly. I didn’t have time to do that, and you went out of your way to lay them down. I figured the Captain could have fun with them.” San bites back a grin, glad that Yunho is on the same wavelength as him. “What do we do now though?” the alpha asks. 

Sighing, San lowers himself to the ground, reaching with his arms for Yunho who takes a seat as well. He’s too far though, so San crawls closer to the alpha, practically making himself at home on Yunho’s lap. “We have to wait until morning,” he tells the alpha. 

“Morning?” Yunho repeats, lifting a hand up to steady San by the waist. 

“Why? Is there a problem with that?” San shifts around on Yunho’s lap until he's at eye level with the alpha. His gaze drops down to Yunho’s lips and he swallows back his ever growing desire. “It gives us plenty of time together before my father inevitably chews me out for my life choices,” he jokes, still staring at Yunho’s lips. 

“It also gives people plenty of time to try and find you still,” Yunho points out, but San is far past being able to think about the Captain. Right now, he can really only focus on the alpha before him. The omega leans forward only to be held back by Yunho who growls his name. “San, focus!” 

“I am,” the omega whines, chasing Yunho’s lips when the alpha slides him off his lap. He grunts when his ass hits the ground, whining and generally acting far more dramatic than he needs to. “Please?” he begs. It’s just a kiss. Is Yunho really going to deny him something so simple? 

“You’re releasing your scent like crazy,” Yunho tells him as he reaches down for his satchel. 

“So you make me a little horny. What do you want me to say?” San complains, lips pursing up into a pout when Yunho gives him a sharp look. “Sorry,” he apologizes. “I’m just...really happy that you found me first.” 

Sighing, Yunho pulls out another fur from his satchel. Carefully unfolding it, Yunho brings it around San’s body before draping it over his head and shoulders. “I’m glad too,” he tells the omega. “But I’d rather not ruin it by being found now.” 

San grabs at the fur, poking his head out to inspect it. It does help tamp his scent down a little, but he can’t help but pause when his fingers touch something hard on the lining of it. Tugging it closer to himself, San stares down at the jewels lining the edge of the fur. He gulps, recognizing this one in particular. 

“What’s this?” he asks. 

“A gift,” Yunho answers, pulling it off San’s head to secure it around his shoulders. “You can consider it my first courting gift.” 

San’s gaze snaps up to Yunho, and he digs his fingers into the fur. While Yunho has given him what amount to gifts in the past, he has never explicitly stated that they were courting gifts or in any way a reciprocation to San’s gifts. This is the first time he’s ever said it.

“I thought you said I could never have this,” he reminds the alpha. He still remembers the time he had curled up on the floor of the main room in Yunho’s cabin and teased him about the time the alpha would finally give San a courting gift. The mood had soured when Yunho had ripped the fur from his hands and said he could never have this one. 

“I changed my mind,” Yunho says, avoiding San’s gaze. “Besides, you really liked that one, right?” 

“I love this one,” San says as he holds the fur tight to his body, tilting his head to the side so he can nuzzle into the soft furs. All of Yunho’s wares are surprisingly well made, but they tend to serve a functional purpose rather than an artistic one. This is the one thing San has ever seen from him that borderlines on the luxurious rather than the practical. It’s so uncharacteristic of everything San knows about the alpha, he’d naturally been curious about this fur, so he asks, “Why though? Why’d you change your mind now? You didn’t want to give this to me before so I figured it was really special or something.”

Yunho’s eyes trail down his form before he reaches out to touch one of the little jewels on the fur. He likes it. He’s always been proud of this one in particular, but he especially likes how it looks on San. “It is special,” he confirms, “but so are you. I think it belongs with you.” 

“Really?” San asks, peering up at the alpha. 

Yunho nods his head. “Yeah, if you want it.” 

“I want it,” San insists, hugging it closer to himself. “I definitely want it.” 

Yunho’s shoulders sag in relief, and he scoots closer to the omega again. San takes the invitation and crawls back into the alpha’s lap. This time Yunho doesn’t stop him when San leans forward in search of a kiss. A shiver runs down San’s spine when their lips meet, and he pushes up into it. Yunho’s lips are warm and soft against his own, but it’s also obvious that the alpha has never kissed anyone before. San can practically taste the inexperience on him. 

The omega licks along the bottom of Yunho’s lips, his arms coming out from the confines of the fur to wrap around Yunho’s shoulders. The alpha parts his lips for him, and San immediately seizes the opportunity to lick into his mouth. It’s hot and heavy, and San becomes unreasonably excited as he presses closer to Yunho—as close to the alpha as he can get. 

“Wait,” Yunho gasps out as he pushes the omega off of him. San makes a noise of distress, leaning in for another kiss but Yunho continues to hold him at bay. “I smell another alpha,” he says. 

San tenses up at his observation, jerking away from Yunho as he tries to get a sense of his surroundings again. Just like Yunho says, he also picks up on the scent of an alpha, and his pupils dilate in fear. Shit. 

“San!” He winces at the tone and volume of the familiar voice that calls out to him. 

“Oh no. It’s him,” he whispers. He shrinks down when he recognizes the Captain. There’s another alpha scent with him though. That didn’t bode well. His instinct is to hide, but he knows that he won't’get far that way. The Captain will no doubt find him. 

“What should we do?” Yunho asks. 

“He’ll fine us either way,” San laments. 

“And if he does? Then what? I found you first, didn’t I?” 

San curls his fists into Yunho’s shirt. “He can try and issue a challenge,” he says as his heart seizes and his stomach twists. No, _no_. This isn’t how he thought this night would go at all. The Captain wasn’t supposed to be here. He was _never_ supposed to be here. 

“You should sneak off if you can,” Yunho suggests. “I can hold him off.” 

“There’s _two_ of them,” San points out, pitch rising in his panic. 

“You’re their target though.” 

San grits his teeth, uncomfortable with the idea of abandoning Yunho here. “You’re just as much of a target for him,” the omega argues. 

“San—” Yunho protests when the omega stands up. 

The Captain’s companion responds almost immediately, pointing San out with a call of, “Over there!” 

“San!” The Captain calls in relief as he approaches the omega. “Thank the Moon. I thought I—” he abruptly halts when Yunho stands up as well, placing himself between the alpha and omega. 

“I got here first,” Yunho growls at him. “Back off.” 

The Captain seems taken aback to see Yunho there, perhaps not expecting the Unmarked alpha to have caught San so quickly. He turns to the omega and says, “San, come here. I can protect you from this Unmarked alpha.” 

“I don’t need you to protect me,” San bites out as he holds Yunho’s furs closer to his body. “I need you to get lost.” 

“Don’t be so stubborn,” the Captain growls back at him. “I know you like playing hard to get but now really isn’t the time. Not with _him_.” 

“He said to leave,” Yunho reminds him forcefully. 

The Captain takes a step back, evidently surprised by Yunho, although he quickly steels himself. “Know your place, Unmarked. You are beneath me. You have no place with San—” 

“You’re late,” Yunho retorts. “I’m only here for San, and I found him first. You lost, so _leave_.” 

His brother grits his teeth, fingers curling into tight fists as he begins to shake in anger. “Fine then,” he spits in retaliation. “You might have found him first, but I also succeeded in that task. I challenge you for the right to claim him.” 

Yunho squares his shoulders, ready to respond, but San beats him to it. “Don’t bother,” he snarls. “I’ll reject your claim anyways.” 

“ _San_ ,” the Captain scolds him, “stop being so stubborn.” 

“Stubborn?” San scoffs. “Who’s being stubborn? How often do you still come after me even though I’ve told you that I don’t want to mate you?” 

The Captain rolls his eyes, clearly dismissive of the omega’s questions. “Stop being silly. I’m the only one who can be your mate. And beyond that we promised each other, didn’t we? Since we were kids.”

“It was different then!” San protests. “I thought you were an alpha worth loving when I was a stupid kid! But you’re just—you’re just an ass! I don’t want to mate you anymore. I haven’t for years!” 

“Who cares what you want?!” The Captain explodes on him, and San immediately shrinks back behind Yunho. “I’m the only one who is remotely fit to be your mate. I know this, your parents know this, _everyone_ knows this. Even you. Stop being a stubborn ass, San. _Know your place._ ” 

Yunho’s blood boils at the way San presses close to him, shaken by the Captain’s words. “Know _yours_ ,” he snaps back at the Captain. “Last time I checked you’re beneath San.” 

“And you’re Unmarked,” the Captain snarls back at him. “If anyone needs to know their place it’s _you_. You never should have left your cabin.” Yunho takes a step towards him, only stopping because San fists the back of his tunic. “I challenge you, _brother_ ,” he spits the word out mockingly. “Fight me for the right to claim San.” 

“Don’t,” San advises him. 

Yunho doesn’t heed his advice though, stepping forward to meet his half-brother. “I accept,” he agrees through gritted teeth. 

The Captain grins at him, reaching into his pocket to retrieve a sheathed knife. Yunho freezes when he catches sight of that, his confidence quickly fading. He hadn’t expected the man to produce something like that, and it completely changes the nature of their power balance. Yunho takes a step back from him, warily eying the knife in his hand. 

“What—what are you doing?” San stammers out, his own gaze fixated on the weapon as well. “You can’t—you’re not supposed to bring a weapon here!” 

The Captain scoffs like all the rules are beneath him. “And who was going to stop me?” He pulls the knife from the sheath and raises it up towards San in a threatening manner. “If you don’t want to get hurt, you’ll come to me right now, San.” 

San presses himself to Yunho’s side, stricken with fear. He has a weapon. The Captain has a weapon. No one was allowed to bring weapons during The Chase. It wasn’t the point of it. Yunho nudges his elbow into his stomach, painful enough to draw his attention back to Yunho, but not enough that it cripples him in anyway. 

“You need to run,” Yunho tells him. 

“ _What?_ ” San sputters. “He has a _knife_. He could kill you.” 

“He’s after _you_. Get out of here. I can handle him on my own.” 

“But—”

“Find your brother. Anyone. I can hold him off until then, but I can’t do this if you’re around.” He looks over his shoulder to stare down at San. “I can’t watch out for you at the same time.”

“You’ll be outnumbered,” San protests. 

“I can handle it,” Yunho insists, nudging San again to try and get him to move. 

San hesitates up until the moment the Captain turns to his friend and says, “Get San.” Alarmed, the blond turns tail and runs immediately, heading back towards the direction of the village. He doesn’t look back to see the way Yunho catches his pursuer by the hips, flipping him over to slam him into the ground. He does hear the pained wheeze, though, and he turns to look back, expression filled with concern for Yunho. 

“ _Go!_ ” The alpha yells at him when he sees San pause again. 

San squeals when the Captain lunges for Yunho, swinging his knife. The Unmarked alpha ducks away just in time, and San finally flees like Yunho had requested. He’s only a distraction right now. He needs to find help. He needs to find back-up for Yunho. 

Growing up in the outlands, Yunho can proudly say that he grew up tougher than most. He knows how to take care of himself and how to scrap, but this alpha is clearly _trained_ for fighting. It doesn’t help that he’s at a distinct advantage by being weaponless either. 

He does his best to give San the head start he needs, though, ducking and dodging every time the Captain swipes or stabs at him. It’s not ideal, but he wants to head in the same direction as San. He needs to find some of the omegas traps or there’s no way he comes out of this fight unharmed. 

“I warned you,” the Captain snarls at him, advancing on Yunho. “You should have gone back home.” 

Yunho laughs at him and spits back, “And what? I should have just left San to _you?_ ” 

“Yes! I’m the only one who’s good enough for him. Do you understand now?” the Captain holds the knife up in a threatening manner again, but it only makes Yunho laugh harder. 

“Yeah, sure I understand,” he says, motioning to the knife he’s wielding like a maniac. “You’d hurt him to get what you want.” 

His half-brother presses his lips into a thin line, but Yunho’s blood runs cold at the fact that he doesn’t deny it. “It’s not something I want to do,” he defends himself. “I’m hoping getting rid of you will finally snap him out of it. You should have listened to me.” 

Yunho shivers at the threat and takes one step back from the man. It’s clear to him now that this isn’t just a threat of harm. He wants to eliminate Yunho. If he thinks it will help him get to San, he’ll do it. Yunho doesn’t give it any further thought; he turns and takes off down the hill. 

The Captain chases after him. 

The hairs on Yunho’s nape stand on end as he dives head first back into the thick grove of trees at the bottom of the hill. He just needs to find a good trap. One of San’s good ones. 

Yunho is able to outpace him in large part due to his long legs. He’s taller than the Captain and no slouch when it comes to his fitness either. Growing up in the outlands honed Yunho’s own athleticism. Hunting, surviving required that he stay fit, but that had just been a byproduct of how he had to live. This alpha, though, he’s clearly and specifically trained himself to harness his own fitness. 

Yunho turns to stand his ground just as the Captain closes the gap on him. The alpha brings his knife down, and Yunho makes a cross with his arms, holding it up to catch it before it can hit anything potentially fatal. The knife slices along his forearms, though, and Yunho winces at the pain, fingers trembling when blood streaks down his arms. He doesn’t have a second to waste. 

Lifting one foot up, he slams it into the Captain’s stomach, sending him to the ground and knocking the breath out of him all at once. Then Yunho flees again, ignoring the slick feel of blood on his arms as he frantically scans the area for any of San’s traps. He just needs a trap. Just one good one. 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong perks up, turning around to scan their surroundings when he hears the faint sound of yelling. His eyebrows knit in concern, and he subconsciously digs his fingers into Seonghwa’s hand. The alpha winces at the feeling, looking first down at their joined hands before his gaze trails up to his face, and he frowns at the anxious expression on the omega. 

“Is something wrong?” he asks. 

Hongjoong turns to him and hesitates. “I heard screaming,” he says. “Didn’t you hear it?” 

Seonghwa’s frown deepens at his words. “No,” he denies, “I didn’t hear—” he cuts himself off when he does, in fact, hear something. He can’t quite make out the words, but he doesn’t need to. He could recognize that voice with his eyes closed. “San,” he breathes out his brother’s name, dropping his hold on Hongjoong’s hand to take off in the direction of the voice. Hongjoong follows after him, struggling to keep up with the alpha’s pace. 

As the alpha draws closer to the voice, he can make out that his brother is calling out for him specifically, and Seonghwa pushes himself harder to catch up to him. “San!” he echoes back the call, trying to lead his brother in the right direction. 

It works, San entering his field of vision not long after. He looks winded and tired but doesn’t look visibly injured. Seonghwa reaches out to run his fingers all over his brother’s face and down his body just to check though. He notices the fur draped over his brother’s shoulders, but it doesn’t really register in his mind through the absolute panic and concern consuming him. “What happened? What’s wrong?” 

Hongjoong gasps for breath as he comes to a stop in front of the brothers. Unlike Seonghwa though, the fur San’s wearing catches his attention, and he can’t help but stare at it as he pauses to catch his breath. “That’s Yunho’s,” he remarks, recognizing the handiwork. 

San nods his head in acknowledgement and says, “Yeah he found me but—”

“Did he hurt you?” Seonghwa cuts in, eyes ablaze with anger. 

_“No,_ ” San denies fervently. “It’s the Captain! He came with a weapon.” 

Seonghwa stares, shocked speechless by San’s words. “He what?” 

“He has a knife!” San cries hysterically. “He threatened us.” 

“Us?” Seonghwa repeats. 

Hongjoong’s fingers tremble, finally registering how odd it is that the omega is on his own. “Where’s Yunho?” he asks. 

“He stayed back to hold the Captain off so I could find help,” San says to Hongjoong before he looks up at his brother. “Please, you have to help him. He’s unarmed!” 

Seonghwa moves his hands down to his brother’s shoulders and swings him around until he’s next to Hongjoong. “Stay here,” he tells both omegas. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Seonghwa—” San tries to protest, but his brother isn’t having it. 

“Stay here!” he snaps at them. He sends Hongjoong a meaningful look, and the omega immediately reaches up to wrap his arms around San’s waist, holding the blond close. Seonghwa gives him a grateful smile. “Where did you come from?” he asks his brother. 

San tries to pull out of Hongjoong’s grip, but the older omega holds him back. Shaking, he lifts his hand up to point in the direction of the hill he had taken up residence on. “Over there,” he says. 

“Okay. Just stay here. I’ll find them, okay?” Seonghwa reassures his brother, waiting until San nods his head before he runs off in the direction his brother indicated. 

This is insane. Did the Captain really bring a knife with him on The Chase? It was strictly prohibited to bring a weapon along with him. Captain knows this. Would he really bring a weapon when he knows it’s against the rules? Why would he even need it if he didn’t think Yunho was a threat? Part of him—the guilty part of him—wonders if San wasn’t mixed up, and it was Yunho who brought the weapon. 

He doesn’t want to think ill of the Unmarked alpha whom his brother is so fond of, but he doesn’t know their rules or customs. It makes more sense that Yunho would be the one to break their rules. As soon as he reaches the base of the hill, he can smell two alphas nearby. More alarmingly, he can smell the metallic scent of blood. 

Pupils dilating, he pushes himself harder, hurtling towards the scent of blood. He comes to a slow halt when he stumbles upon an unexpected scene. 

Yunho is on the ground, leaning back against a tree as he presses his arms into his stomach. His tunic is covered in blood, not enough that Seonghwa thinks his life is in danger or that he’s killed anyone, but it’s alarming nevertheless. Above him is a wiggling net—a trap clearly set off—and Seonghwa has only one guess as to who’s in there. 

“What happened here?” he asks, drawing both the alphas attention. “Why has this much blood been drawn?” 

“Seonghwa!” the Captain calls for him immediately, wiggling and writhing around in the net that he’s trapped himself in. “You must do something about this Unmarked alpha. He’s broken too many of our rules!” 

Seonghwa’s gaze trails from the net down to Yunho who meets his eyes with an intense stare of his own, arms still pressed to his stomach. It’s clear to him now that Yunho is the one who’s bleeding, and for a moment he fears that he must be wounded in the abdomen. “What happened?” he repeats his question to Yunho specifically. 

The Unmarked alpha snorts, tearing his eyes away to glare up at the netted alpha. “He challenged me because I found your brother first. Then he threatened us with a knife.” 

“I did no such thing!” the Captain denies before he returns to appealing to Seonghwa. “You can’t believe anything he says. He’s Unmarked!” 

Seonghwa reaches out to grab one of Yunho’s arms, yanking it away from his stomach only to realize that the wounds are on his arms. “Why is he the one with defensive wounds?” he asks, releasing his hold on Yunho’s hand when he realizes that the alpha’s life isn’t in danger. “I only smell his blood.” 

“I had to,” the Captain insists. “To protect your brother from being claimed by an Unmarked.” 

“San says you’re the one who brought the knife,” Seonghwa tells him. 

“You know your brother,” the Captain urges him, “he’s sly. He’s just saying that because he wants to get me in trouble.” 

Seonghwa side eyes Yunho who only stares at him with a blank look on his face, gauging Seonghwa’s reaction. He expects the alpha to say something in his own defense, but Yunho is strangely quiet. He just stares back at Seonghwa. It occurs to the future Head Alpha that Yunho is reticent because he doesn’t trust Seonghwa. He doesn’t think Seonghwa will believe him over the Captain. 

So Seonghwa motions to the net the Captain is currently entangled in. “How did he end up there?” 

Yunho’s lips twitch up like he wants to smile, but he suppresses it. He shrugs his shoulders and says, “I just found one of your brother’s traps. He just ran into it.” Seonghwa bites back his own smile at his explanation while Yunho’s expression darkens. “But on a more serious note, he came at me with a knife. This was the only way I could think of to defend myself.” 

Seonghwa presses his lips together in a grim expression and turns his expression up the Captain. “You know that bringing a weapon into The Chase is prohibited, don’t you?” 

“Of course I know that,” he scoffs. “If you’d just listen to me—”

“Captain,” Seonghwa cuts him off. “You want to be my brother’s mate, do you not?” 

“I...yes, of course I do. I have since we were younger.” He tries to twist around in the net to face San although it’s evidently quite difficult for him. “We’ve always been promised to each other.” 

“Since you were kids,” Seonghwa acknowledges. “Though lately my brother has not been fond of you. I wonder why.” 

“I can’t say,” the Captain says evasively. “But surely I am a better option than an Unmarked alpha.” 

Seonghwa looks down at Yunho who’s busy trying to stem the flow of blood before he stares back up at the Captain. “Did you or did you not bring a weapon with you when you entered the forest?” he asks bluntly. 

The Captain hesitates before he answers, “I did not.” Yunho lifts his eyes up from his own injuries to stare up at him, as if daring him to say it. “It was the filthy Unmarked. I just managed to out fight him so he resorted to this.” 

Seonghwa looks at Yunho before his gaze drops down to the satchel by his side. He did bring a bag, and, while not strictly prohibited it wasn’t necessarily a common thing to bring. However, did he really need such a large bag just to smuggle a knife in. 

“I didn’t,” Yunho says, cutting through his thoughts, “for the record.” 

“He did,” the Captain insists. “Whose word are you going to believe? His or mine?” 

Seonghwa digs his teeth into his bottom lip, considering it for only a moment before he says, “I’m inclined to believe my brother. Unless you offer me proof otherwise I’ll assume that his word is correct.” 

“Seonghwa—” 

“You found him first, is that right?” Seonghwa asks Yunho. The Unmarked alpha startles when he’s addressed before he straightens up. 

“Yeah. He was,” Yunho points up the hill they’re at the base of, “up there when I found him. He showed up a little bit later.” He jerks his chin up towards the net where the Captain is dangling. “He challenged me for San, and I would have accepted, but he pulled a knife out. I clearly had a disadvantage against that, so I told San to run while I held him off.” 

“And those wounds?” 

Yunho lifts his arms up, grimacing when he eyes the gashes trailing down his forearms. “I couldn’t outrun him, and I couldn’t fight him. This was the best I could do,” he nods to his own handiwork with the net once again. 

“He’s _lying_ ,” the Captain protests, struggling against his bindings. 

“We’ll see what my parents have to say about that,” Seonghwa retorts. “For now, we’re all going back together. You can try to convince them if you want, but from where I’m standing you’ve committed quite the grave crime.” He curls his lips up in distaste. 

He knows San has a lot of issues with the Captain. He’s known his brother has had problems with him for awhile, but he’s never quite understood why until just this moment. He hadn’t quite known what to believe coming into this. He truly thought San might have misspoken at first, but looking at the situation before him and the injuries on Yunho, he thinks that he’ll side with the Unmarked alpha in this case. He doesn’t think Yunho brought the weapon in with him. 

Ignoring the Captain’s excuses and sputtered ramblings, he turns his focus entirely onto Yunho to tell him, “You said you caught my brother, right? Congratulations. You’re the first to do that. You’ve more than proven yourself.” 

Yunho stares at the future Head Alpha in awe. He can’t exactly pinpoint what it is, but somehow receiving Seonghwa’s approval like this feels _good_. “Thanks,” he says in response. It feels lame, but it’s the only answer he can muster. 

“Don’t thank me yet,” Seonghwa tells him. “You’ve technically earned the right to court him, but I doubt my parents will just quietly allow it. You should prepare yourself to deal with them next.” 

Yunho nods his head in acknowledgement. He figured as much. Then Seonghwa turns back to the Captain with a heavy sigh. How disappointing. He expected better from him. 

  
  
  
  


The near fervent pitch of the gossip that circulates around the village after The Chase is comical. Opinions are quite strongly split. The vast majority of people initially seemed to buy the story that the Captain was innocent and had simply turned the tables on Yunho who was the one to bring a weapon in with him. San’s rather vocal dissent on that opinion had cast enough doubt that the consensus became split. 

One thing that remains despite all this, most people don’t seem too keen on the idea of their Head Alpha’s son mating an Unmarked. Yunho is sympathetic but nevertheless Unmarked, and most people didn’t seem too enthusiastic about his right to court San despite proving himself in The Chase. Yunho can’t say he’s too surprised. He might even go so far as to claim he saw it coming. 

If nothing else though, the heat on him detracts from the heat placed on another rather unpopular candidate. 

Yunho looks up when Hongjoong practically stumbles out of the Head Alpha’s house. He looks dazed as he trudges away although he pauses when he spots Yunho. The alpha thinks he looks nice. He’s wearing clothes unlike anything he’s seen the omega wear. He looks like royalty in them, like someone who should be standing next to Seonghwa. 

The expression on his face doesn’t speak to that sentiment so much though. Probably because of the Marks on his face. 

“How did it go?” Yunho asks as Hongjoong approaches him with his head bowed. 

“They don’t like me,” Hongjoong says.

Yunho tries his best to school his disappointment for both of their sakes. He can’t say that he’s necessarily surprised, but he is a little bit disappointed. The Head Alpha’s reaction to Hongjoong certainly doesn’t bode well for Yunho. Hongjoong might be low ranking, but at least he bore Marks. 

“It’s not all bad though,” the omega reassures him, and Yunho wonders if the disappointment had been evident in his expression. “I’ve been assured that I can’t, or won’t at least, be banished in retaliation.” 

Yunho blinks, wondering if that’s much of a victory at all. “That’s good,” he tells the omega anyway because he knows that Hongjoong had been worried about it. “Is that it though? What about...with Seonghwa?” He doesn’t quite know what he’s trying to ask but it’s the only question he really needs an answer to. Fortunately, Hongjoong seems to know what he seeks. 

“They can’t really do much about that,” he says, tugging at the sleeves of his immaculate tunic. He feels weird wearing such a thing. “I mean, they made it clear that they oppose any motion of us mating, but it seemed they knew they couldn’t stop us from courting each other or even completing it really. Seonghwa is their son and the future Head Alpha. He technically has the right to choose anyone as his mate.” 

“And you?” Yunho asks. “How do you feel? What will you do?”

Hongjoong hesitates, his long sleeves fluttering around as he flails his arms. “I don’t—I don’t know.” 

“Do you want to be Seonghwa’s mate?” Yunho asks more pointedly. 

“I do,” Hongjoong says in a small voice. “But I don’t want people to think that I’m just doing this to try and better my position. He’s quite literally the best thing that could have ever happen to me, and I do like him for that, but he’s also been sweet to me since the beginning too. I like him, and I want to be a good mate for him, but I don’t know that I can be. I mean, his parents don’t like me at all.” 

Yunho looks past Hongjoong when Wooyoung exits the house as well, and he figures it must be his turn. He starts walking towards Wooyoung when the omega beckons him over, but he stops when he’s next to Hongjoong. “You said you wanted to be a good mate for him, right? So just focus on that. How other people feel about you is irrelevant to being a good mate for him, don’t you think?” 

“But—” 

“Think about whether you want to be a good mate for him, or if you just want to look like you’re a good mate for him,” Yunho suggests. “Maybe it will help you decide what you want.” 

Speechless, Hongjoong watches as Yunho walks up to Wooyoung. He understands what Yunho is trying to tell him, but, oddly enough, it leaves him feeling more confused than before. What does he want? To be a good mate for Seonghwa or to be one that everyone else will approve of? 

Wooyoung glances to Yunho as he leads the alpha to the formal meeting room. The alpha looks surprisingly unperturbed by his current predicament, but he can tell that Yunho feels out of his depths. “I’ll give you some advice if you don’t mind,” he volunteers suddenly, biting down on his lip as soon as he speaks it. 

Yunho looks over to him curiously. “Sure,” he says after a beat. “I’ll take any advice you can give.” 

Taking a deep breath, Wooyoung folds his hands together over his stomach and slows his pace down a little bit. “Normally in a situation like this it would be customary for the alpha to sit in front of the omega,” Wooyoung explains as he lays out the seating situation Yunho will encounter when he goes into the meeting room. It baffles Yunho in all honesty. He hadn’t expected that he’d be judged starting from something so mundane as where he chooses to sit. 

“You’re a pretty rare case though. Given your status as an Unmarked I would recommend that you sit behind San in this case,” Wooyoung suggests. “I know it’s probably beneath you, and anyways you earned the right to court San as per the rules of The Chase, but it might at least appease the Head Alpha.” 

Yunho hums, tucking Wooyoung’s advice into the back of his mind. He doesn’t really know what Wooyoung means, but perhaps it will make more sense when he’s there. 

“Hey, I’d like to ask you something,” Wooyoung says, coming to a halt. Yunho stumbles into his side, muttering out an apology when Wooyoung shies away from him. Clearing his throat, the omega rights himself and takes a couple steps back from the alpha to place more distance between them. 

“What is it?” Yunho asks, refraining on commenting on Wooyoung’s actions. 

“Do you—” he hesitates, “You like San, don’t you?” 

Yunho raises his eyebrows at the question. “Of course I do. Why else would I be here otherwise?” 

Wooyoung chokes on his words before he manages to cough out, “I just wanted to make sure,” he defends himself. “San is my best friend, and he hates the Captain because, well, all that man has ever seen is San’s rank.” There had even been a time where he thought that perhaps he could take over as Head Alpha given Seonghwa’s disinterest in finding an omega to mate, but Wooyoung doesn’t express that. 

Frowning, Yunho touches the bandages wrapped around his arms. San had dressed his wounds himself, but the cuts remain sore. Lifting his eyes back up to Wooyoung he says, “If you think I’m here because I’m trying to earn Marks in your village, you’ve completely misread me. I’m not the least bit interested in earning or wearing your Marks.” 

Wooyoung blinks at his response and asks, “Then how do you expect to mate San? There’s no way—” 

“I don’t really care how it happens as long as it does,” Yunho explains. “There are so many frivolous rules you people put in the way, but if I have to play it your way, I will. I only ask that you stop looking down at me because I’m Unmarked.” 

Wooyoung startles at Yunho’s request and turns away in shame. “I wasn’t trying to,” he murmurs quietly. 

“If that’s how you feel about those who are Unmarked does that mean you turned him down?” 

“Huh? Who?” 

“Jongho.”

Wooyoung freezes at the mention of the alpha who caught him just a couple nights ago. “You...you know him?” he asks. 

Yunho tilts his head to the side and, with a smile, replies, “Sure. He spent some time in the outlands, you know? He was just like most of you guys—completely out of his depths in the outlands. He learned though. He’s a good kid.” He narrows his eyes at Wooyoung who shrinks beneath his stare. “I heard he caught you too.” 

“He did,” Wooyoung acknowledges, clearing his throat. “I invited him to court me if he so wants.” 

Yunho smiles. “Ah, did you? I’m glad to hear.” 

He tries to move on, eager to get this meeting over with only for Wooyoung to reach out and stop him. “Um, wait!” the omega says, taking hold of the alpha’s arm. Yunho winces when Wooyoung irritates his wounds, and the omega quickly pulls back apologetically. “Sorry. Sorry! I just wanted to ask if you could, um, tell me about him. Jongho, I mean.” 

Yunho pauses at the request. “Sure, we can do that sometime, but for now I think there’s a meeting I’m supposed to get to.” 

“Oh, right!” Wooyoung flounders. “Um, this way. It’s this way.” 

  
  
  
  


Yunho has some clue of what to expect when Wooyoung slides open the door to the meeting room and ushers the alpha inside. San is sitting just a few feet in front of him, kneeling on a decorative pillow before both his parents. The Head Alpha and Omega sit next to each other although Yunho notes that San’s mother sits behind her mate. He guesses this is what Wooyoung meant when he advised Yunho to sit behind San to acknowledge his own low status. 

He looks over to Seonghwa who sits against the wall between the two parties as if he’s a referee. The alpha motions for him to take a seat near San, and Yunho stares at the omega’s back. The blond keeps his gaze fixed on the floor, not even looking at Yunho when he enters, leaving the alpha to his own devices as he figures out where he should sit. 

It feels like a stupid puzzle in Yunho’s opinion. Why should it matter? Sit in front of San because he’s an alpha or sit behind him because he’s Unmarked. Either way he’s sure he’ll lose in the eyes of San’s parents. Well, if it’s a losing situation no matter what, Yunho figures he’ll just do what he wants. 

Fiddling with his bandages, he takes his first step into the room, missing the way the Head Omega’s gaze narrows at him. Walking up to San, he lowers himself to his knees next to the omega, foregoing either cushions in front of or behind San. The omega finally seems to wake up, lifting his head up to blink at the alpha. Then he smiles when he sees what Yunho has done. 

“Ah. A cushion.” San reaches forward to grab one of the cushions, but Yunho stops him. 

“It’s fine,” he says, briefly meeting the Head Alpha’s eyes before looking away. The barely repressed anger in his gaze enough for Yunho to know immediately where he stands. 

“The Unmarked alpha,” the man mutters, eyeing Yunho from head to toe before he turns his ire to his son. “When you proposed that he participate in The Chase I only agreed because you said he wouldn’t be able to beat the Captain.” 

“I never said such a thing,” Seonghwa denies. “He had thrown in his bid to court San, and everyone was talking about him thanks to his lineage being leaked. I just figured there would be no harm in letting him participate since the Captain should have been able to perform better.” Yunho bites the inside of his cheeks, wondering if Seonghwa really means it or if he’s just a fantastic liar. “As it is, he’s clearly shown that he deserves a chance.” 

“He’s Unmarked,” his father spits out. “There is no world in which he deserves the chance to mate into our family.” 

“Well the rumors say he’s also the General’s son,” Seonghwa points out. “From what I know I can only assume it’s true, is it not?” 

Yunho perks up at the question. He’d been curious himself for a while. Could that rumor be true? San had presented it as fact, but Yunho had his doubts. His mother had never said anything on the topic, mostly reluctant to talk about his father when Yunho used to ask a child. He frowns, fingers digging into legs. Does it even matter? 

“So what if he is?” the Head Alpha asks. “He’s Unmarked. Worse than that, he was _born_ Unmarked. Even if his father is the General there’s no one of lower status—” 

“Is that even really fair though?!” San cuts in. “Yes, he was born Unmarked, but since when was that a punishment we doled out?” 

“San,” his father spits out harshly, “What are you talking about?” 

“He’s right,” Seonghwa adds, sending his brother a harsh look. Clearly, he doesn’t want San to talk much. “It’s enough that his mother was sentenced to a life banishment, but you passed her sentence down onto her son. A life banishment is rare enough. I’d be curious as to what exactly she did to earn such a thing, but under what circumstances was it determined that Yunho is equally as guilty?” 

“Seonghwa!” he scolds. “You are in no position to decide that.” 

“I’m not,” the alpha acknowledges, “but one day I will be. Will I make the same kinds of decisions as you?” 

“I was just trying to protect a precious friend.” 

San shifts in his kneeling seat, struggling to hold back despite his brother’s clear instructions before. If he speaks he’ll likely only land himself and Yunho in even deeper trouble. But he still speaks before he can stop himself. “You did,” he says through gritted teeth. “But you unfairly punished someone else in the process. You’re still punishing him.” 

“San, he’s one Unmarked alpha,” his father says. “I’m not going to let him use you just so he can regain his rightful Marks. And anyways, you can’t be smitten just because he managed to catch you.” 

“Of course he can’t,” his mother agrees. Yunho averts his gaze when she stares at him, feeling uncomfortable. “This has been going on for a lot longer than we thought.” Seonghwa stiffens up at the accusation, and Yunho hears the way San audibly swallows. 

“What do you mean?” her mate asks. 

“San has been wearing a ring for a few months now,” she points out. “When I asked about it, he told me he shared one with an alpha he liked. I saw one on your finger when you walked in just now,” she says to Yunho. The alpha instinctively glances down, but it’s impossible to see the ring now with his arms folded together. “It matches.” 

“Mom, that’s—” 

“I don’t need to hear your excuses, Sannie,” she sighs. “I’m your mother. I know you better than you think. You planned all this, didn’t you? And you dragged your brother into it to make us believe you were unbiased. First you and now your brother,” she tuts with a shake of her head. “I just don’t understand. You are our children. You could have anyone you want as a mate and yet you settle for two people who lack quality.” 

“Who lacks quality!” San demands when Seonghwa presses his lips together and remains silent. “Why? Because of their Marks or lack thereof?” He looks to his brother for support, but Seonghwa appears unable to muster a response—perhaps too drained from fighting with them earlier while Hongjoong was present. “I saw the way you reacted when Hongjoong was here. If not for his Marks you wouldn’t have known his rank. That’s all they tell you anyways. They just tell you who they were born to.” 

“Who they’re born to is an important consideration too,” his mother argues.

“Why?” San presses. “Hongjoong was more than acceptable behavior wise, and Yunho has proven himself over and over again.” 

“Catching you in The Chase hardly qualifies—”

“He’s done more than that!” San protests. “He saved my life. He’s lived in the outlands all by himself his whole life. He’s a more than worthy alpha even if his mother—” 

“This is a farce,” his father interrupts. “You planned this whole thing out. How do I know you didn’t just let him find you in that case? I refuse to acknowledge his victory in that case.” 

San lurches forward like he’s about to stand up, but Yunho decides to finally speak. “You’re right,” he says, “this is a farce.” 

San catches himself as he falls forward and sputters, “What? Yunho!” 

“You have so many rules,” the alpha complains. “So many restrictions about who it’s okay to court and who’s worthy of mating who, this Mark means this and that Mark means that. I’m sick of your rules. I found your son in The Chase. According to your rules that means I have the right to court him and mate him if he’s so willing, so why do I have to be here trying to earn the approval of people who will never like me because I was born Unmarked. This is a farce.” 

“You _dare_ —” 

“I’m not here to try and earn back any kind of Marks. I’m not interested in them. I’m not trying to use your son in any way.” Taking a deep breath, Yunho folds his hands on top of each other, palm down on the floor in front of him. He bends down and rests his forehead on top of them. It’s the only show of respect he’ll give them. “I just ask that you honor your rules.” 

“I agree,” San chimes in. “And I do accept his claim.” 

The Head Alpha clenches his teeth together and turns his angry gaze to Yunho when the Unmarked alpha lifts his head up. “Fine,” he spits out. “Court him if you want, but I’ll not ever agree to you becoming his mate. Mark my words.” He waves his hand dismissively when Yunho lifts himself back up. “We’re done here, and I have nothing more to say to you. Leave at once.” 

Yunho releases a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding as soon as he steps out from the main room. He thinks he understands how Hongjoong felt after his meeting like there’s no real resolution or accomplishment to it. They hadn’t said they could stop Yunho, but they also refused to acknowledge him either. It was infuriating. 

San follows after him, but Seonghwa doesn’t come with him. “Yunho,” the omega calls, reaching out for the alpha’s arm. “Are you...are you okay?” 

Yunho turns to look back at him, his annoyance flaring for a moment because San said they could make this work. He believed that. “I’m fine,” he answers after clamping down on his anger. 

“I’m sorry about them,” he apologizes. 

Yunho shakes his head, brushing off San’s apology. “Don’t. I never expected them to like me or even approve of me when they abandoned me to the outlands since I was a child, but where does this leave us? We’re just back at square one.” 

“I can live out there with you—”

“ _No_ ,” Yunho shoots the idea down quickly. “I told you before that the outlands aren't where you belong.” 

“It is if that’s where you are,” San insists. “You heard them. Maybe they don’t approve but they can’t exactly stop us either. I belong with you. Don’t you dare try to tell me otherwise.” 

“And I’ll never earn the right to Marks. I’m not allowed in your village. What will you do then?” 

“Change the rules,” San answers with unwavering certainty. “We’ll change the rules. Why should being Unmarked bar you from living in the village?” 

“San…” 

“You _just_ said you earned the right to stand by me as my mate, didn’t you? Are you taking that back?” San glowers up at him, fingers curled into fists at his side. 

Yunho shakes his head. “No,” he denies. “I don’t care what other people think about me, and I don’t care that I’m Unmarked, but what can I do when I’m forced to live so far away? I’m not allowed here. I’m not welcome here either.” 

San’s lips curl up into a little grin before his expression becomes more serious. “I have an idea if you have the patience for it.” 

  
  
  
  


Yunho looks up from where he’s starting a fire when his front door opens, and San stumbles inside. The alpha knits his eyebrows together in concern when he sees the omega. “What are you doing here?” he asks, placing his lit kindling beneath the logs in his fireplace before he stands up to greet the omega. 

San brightens up when he sees that Yunho is working on getting a fire going, and he rushes over to the fireplace even though the flames are slow to engulf the wood. “What do you think? I’m here to visit.” 

Yunho frowns at his response. He’s happy to see San of course. It’s not easy to see each other all that often due to their distance and Yunho is still more or less an unwelcome sight in the village even if San’s parents have little authority to force him out anymore. However, looking at the clouds earlier today, it’s obvious that there’s going to be a pretty severe storm tonight, and it’s cold enough that he predicts there will be quite a bit of snow in the morning if the storm doesn’t continue through the next day. 

“Did you not see the clouds? There’s bound to be a snowstorm tonight, and it’s already late. You won’t be able to get home before it hits.” 

“I know,” San says with a grin. “That’s the whole point. My parents can’t get mad about me staying here for a few days if I literally can’t go back.” 

Frowning, Yunho places his hands on his hips and stares down at the omega. “San,” he says reproachfully. 

“What?” San whines. “Are you really going to protest us being snowed in together?” 

“I didn’t _prepare_.” 

“You’re always prepared,” San insists.

“It’s cold in here though. There’s still some repairs I should have made earlier,” Yunho protests. 

“You make a great fire though. We can just lay some blankets down here and cuddle,” the omega suggests, eyeing the living room area like he can already imagine what their makeshift bed will look like. 

“San—”

The omega turns to him with his arms held out to beckon the alpha closer while he hushes him. “No more complaints. I’m still working on finding a place for you within the village, but until then I’m okay with spending at least some time out here. I’m happy so long as you’re here.” 

Sighing, Yunho falls into the omega’s arms, holding him close. 

Not much has really changed for him. He still lives out on this little hill all by himself. He’s still Unmarked. San still feels unreachable. And yet his relationship with San seems to have changed. The little courting gestures between them remain, but they feel as if they’re happening with the intention, the promise, that it will become more. Despite their differences and the gap between them, it feels like their mating is more a matter of time and less an unobtainable fantasy. 

“How’s Hongjoong?” he asks. 

San hums, running his fingers up and down Yunho’s back and smiling at the way the alpha practically trembles in his hold. “He’s okay,” he answers. “He’s faced a lot of heat recently because he’s practically guaranteed to be my brother’s mate at this point. Seonghwa moved him to a private little house to keep him from it, but it’s getting better. I think some people are coming around and starting to like him.” 

“Well, that’s good,” Yunho remarks. “What about Wooyoung?” San bites into Yunho’s shoulder, satisfied when the alpha winces and tries to pry him off. “Sorry!” he apologizes profusely. “Mercy, mercy, mercy!” 

San lets up on the bite and presses his cheek there instead. “Stop asking me about other omegas,” he demands petulantly. “I mean, Hongjoong I understand but Wooyoung?” He huffs. 

“Sorry,” Yunho apologizes one more time. “I just wanted to know how they were doing. Especially Hongjoong, but I’m glad to know people are starting to like him.” 

“It’s the same for you, you know,” San tells him. “It helped that the official investigation into the matter officially determined that you _did_ catch me first and that Captain was the one who brought the knife into the forest.” 

Yunho laughs, his chest rumbling against San who nuzzles into him. “You actually investigated?” 

“We had to,” San says. “It was my word against his. It was the only way to actually resolve the matter, and it helped anyways! Some people are starting to say that you should be allowed into the fold of our village. If we get enough pressure, father will have to cave. His ‘precious friend’s’ reputation is basically tarnished at any rate now, so there’s no point in continuing your punishment.” 

“I wonder how I’d do,” Yunho remarks. “I’ve never lived with anyone other than my mother before.” 

San lifts his head up from Yunho’s chest and presses their foreheads together. He says nothing for a moment, just leans against Yunho as his eyes trail down his face before pausing at his lips. He weighs in his mind whether or not Yunho will shove him off if he tries to kiss him. 

“Well,” he says to distract the alpha, “I guess we’ll have a few days to find out how you do living with your future mate.” Then he moves in for a kiss, his whole body heating up from a soft touch. He pulls away when Yunho’s hands begin to wander, fingers dipping below the waistline of his pants. 

“Where are your blankets?” he asks even though he knows exactly where to find everything he needs. “I’ll show you how great my nesting skills are.” 

Yunho cocks an eyebrow at the brag and questions, “Nesting skills?” 

Grinning, San leans in close to the alpha. “Our village seer predicts this winter will be harsh but short. Spring will be here before you know it.” Yunho frowns. Spring means his rut, and he hates them. “You still have a lot to learn about being with an omega, but don’t worry, I’ll teach you everything.” 

He walks away from Yunho with confident strides, on the hunt for his furs and blankets, but he doesn’t answer Yunho’s question at all. 

“What’s nesting?” the alpha calls after him, standing up to trail behind the omega. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't the original ending I was envisioning, but I left it like this because I think it stays true to all the characters up until this point. I think getting the real ending I wanted would have required me to go digging through and deconstructing the weird political situation I built in this and that feels like another huge ass story in itself so HERE. TAKE THIS INSTEAD AND PLEASE DON'T HATE IT

**Author's Note:**

> sorry it's taking me so long to put stuff out. i've had a really rough start to my school year (i mean, who hasn't?) but it's just been particularly bad because it's my first year i think. also i'm really scared of the schools closing and my rotations not falling through ;n; 
> 
> anyways, have some yunsan (sorta) to feel better lol


End file.
